New Zealand to push for trade at Davos meetings

New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser will be pushing for greater international trade liberalization when he attends a series of meetings in Europe this month. The focus of the tour would be the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, from Jan. 23 to 27, along with meetings in Geneva, Groser said in a statement Monday. "The forum gives New Zealand a valuable opportunity to engage with the world's top decision-makers on how to get the global economy back on a path of stable growth and higher employment, as well as a chance to discuss the implications for New Zealand," he said. He would also attend an informal meeting of trade ministers in Davos to discuss the outlook for the multilateral trading system and preparations for the ninth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference later this year. "It is critical that leaders continue to explore ways to keep markets open and to achieve further trade liberalisation. Stimulating trade through liberalisation and regional integration provides an important engine not only for global economic recovery but also for economic growth, poverty reduction, and development," Groser said. He would also meet with counterparts to discuss progress on New Zealand's trade agenda and his bid to become director-general of the WTO. Before travelling to Switzerland, Groser would speak at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Policy Dialogue on Aid for Trade in Paris, and attend the launch of the OECD-WTO Trade in ValueAdded Database on Jan. 16 and 17. He would then attend the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin, which would focus on the future of the global agri-food industry.