October 14, 2023
No. 347
New Zealand held parliamentary elections on October 14. Based on current results, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, leader of the Labour Party, has conceded defeat to Christopher Luxon, head of the National Party, who is expected to form a new government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sincerely congratulates New Zealand on the smooth completion of the elections, which exemplifies and demonstrates the success and accomplishments of its democracy.
Taiwan and New Zealand are like-minded partners that share the universal values of democracy, freedom, the rule of law, and human rights, with both sides continuing to deepen friendly cooperation across all domains. This year marks the 10th anniversary of ANZTEC, the Taiwan-New Zealand bilateral economic cooperation agreement. Annual bilateral trade now exceeds NZ$3 billion (approximately US$1.9 billion). Furthermore, the New Zealand All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan was formed in March this year. On May 16, the cochairs, MP Simon O’Connor of the National Party and MP Ingrid Leary of the Labour Party, signed a joint letter on behalf of the 26-member group urging the government and parliament of New Zealand to support Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization and the World Health Assembly.
The government of Taiwan will continue to work with the government of New Zealand, based on the existing solid foundation of mutual trust, reciprocity, and mutual benefit, to steadily expand bilateral cooperation in all domains and jointly promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. (E)