WELLINGTON, July 17 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand and Switzerland have agreed to establish a trade and investment dialogue, a senior New Zealand official said on Friday.
The move aims at exploring an agreement on trade, economic security, e-commerce, investment and sustainability, New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay said in a statement.
The announcement followed talks between McClay and Swiss State Secretary for Economic Affairs Helene Budliger Artieda on the sidelines of the Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership Ministerial Meeting in Auckland.
McClay described Switzerland as "an important partner" and one of the world's most innovative and advanced economies.
"Establishing a trade and investment dialogue will lead to closer economic cooperation and enhanced collaboration, through bilateral trade and international forums like the World Trade Organization, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the FIT Partnership," he said.
Two-way trade between New Zealand and Switzerland totaled 1.88 billion NZ dollars (1.1 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025, with exports to Switzerland worth 429 million NZ dollars and imports from Switzerland reaching 1.45 billion NZ dollars, the statement said.
Officials from both countries are expected to hold their first meeting under the dialogue framework in September, it said. ■