Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has arrived in Bangkok for the APEC leaders' summit, where leaders from across Asia and the Pacific are looking to try to jumpstart the region's economy after two years of muted growth due to Covid-19.
The focus of APEC 2022 is on boosting economic growth by promoting tourism, business mobility and safe cross-border travel and yet much of the focus of leaders here is on conflicts both in the region and Russia's war in Ukraine.
While the summit begins in earnest today, Ardern held her first bilateral meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo yesterday, where she passed on her condolences for the Halloween crowd crush tragedy in Seoul last month, which left nearly 160 revellers dead and another 200 hundred people seriously injured.
The PM says the wider APEC Summit also has great potential for productivity. (Source: Breakfast)
In her opening comments, Ardern also spoke of New Zealand's strong support for sanctions on North Korea.
"There's no question that in our region at the moment, we are seeing an unprecedented level and escalation on the part of North Korea, the use of missiles and the threats that have been made concerning nuclear testing is of grave concern for the region but of course for the people of South Korea," she told reporters later.
Charles Finney says PM Jacinda Ardern will likely use her meeting with China's Xi Jinping to remind him of the importance of stability in the South Pacific. (Source: Breakfast)
Duck-soo spoke of New Zealand's close ties with his nation over the last 60 years and mentioned he visited the cemetery recently where some Kiwi soldiers who fought in the Korean War are buried.
Ardern is due to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo for formal bilateral meetings and will also meet briefly with US vice president Kamala Harris and Canada's Justin Trudeau.
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