Trade Trip to Indonesia about Increasing Opportunities to Avoid Reliance on China, Key Says

Wellington, 13 Syawal 1437/1 July 2016 (MINA) – New Zealand must build trade with countries like Indonesia to avoid “having all our eggs in the Chinese basket”, Prime Minister John Key has said ahead of a visit to the southeast Asian country.

Key is slated to arrive in Jakarta on Sunday evening (NZ time) for a three-day visit aimed at boosting trade between the two countries, stuff.co.nz reported.

The trip is expected to focus on opportunities for Kiwi exporters in the education, energy, aviation, and food and beverage sectors.

Indonesia boasts a population of over 250 million people, and is set to become the world’s seventh-largest economy by 2030.

Key said the Government had “always recognised that Indonesia is full of potential”, with a free trade agreement between New Zealand, Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed in 2009.

“The thing that makes Indonesia interesting is it’s got a young population, so it’s 250 million and 150 million under 25.”

The country’s growing middle class could also prove a boon for New Zealand exporters, particularly in the food and beverage sector, Key said. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)