PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hosted an official luncheon in honour of his visiting New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, at Seri Perdana on Monday (Sept 2).
Luxon, who is here on his inaugural visit to Malaysia since assuming office in November 2023, arrived at the Prime Minister’s official residence at 11.55am Monday.
Apart from the New Zealand delegation, the luncheon was also attended by Malaysian Cabinet ministers, including Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Earlier, Anwar and Luxon held a bilateral meeting to explore avenues for deepening bilateral relations, with a particular focus on expanding trade, investment, and defence cooperation.
In 2023, New Zealand was Malaysia’s 28th largest trading partner, 22nd largest export destination, and 27th largest source of imports among countries in the Oceania region, with the total trade between Malaysia and New Zealand amounting to RM11.56bil.
As of June 2023, Malaysia was New Zealand’s second-largest trading partner, with the trade volume between the two countries reaching RM6.32bil.
Also in 2023, 24 investment projects valued at RM238.28mil were approved. They are to generate 1,137 jobs. – Bernama
