New Zealand's relations with the countries of South and Southeast Asia are of growing importance to us. The region is our closest outside the South Pacific and our links with it go back many years. New Zealand is accredited to almost all countries in the region and we have embassies or high commissions in eight of these. New Zealand's total exports to Southeast Asia for the year ended 30 June 2008 were NZ$4,589 million.

Founded in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is central to New Zealand's relations with Asia. It is a major regional political and economic grouping with a population of over 566 million people. New Zealand became a 'dialogue partner' of ASEAN in 1974; joined the ASEAN Regional Forum in 1994, and in 2005 acceded to ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

As an ASEAN dialogue partner, New Zealand attends at Foreign Minister level the annual ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC), hosted by the ASEAN Chair (currently Thailand).

Other dialogue partners are Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the US and the EU. Participation in the PMC provides an opportunity for New Zealand to:

• Contribute to evolving regional views on security, political and economic developments.
• Underline New Zealand's credentials as a committed and responsible member of the Asia-Pacific community.
• Reinforce our bilateral relations with ASEAN and individual member countries.
• Exchange views with other dialogue partners that are major influences in the Asian region.

Statistics

• Value of NZ exports to ASEAN
• Value of NZ imports from ASEAN
• Top 20 New Zealand exported items/goods to ASEAN
• Top 20 New Zealand imported items/goods from ASEAN