Introduction

This is my sixth ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference. I greatly value this annual opportunity to continue the dialogue which New Zealand has enjoyed with ASEAN for the last 21 years. The relationship is, for New Zealand, part of an important network of contacts through which we can build regional confidence and tackle common problems. This meeting takes the dialogue an historic step forward. We warmly welcome ASEAN's decision to widen participation to include the great countries of China, India and Russia. Their contribution will significantly enhance the substance and diplomatic significance of the Post Ministerial Conference.

In these opening remarks I would like to pay particular tribute to our country coordinator, Viet Nam. It was my great pleasure to welcome my colleagues His Excellency Nguyen Manh Cam, on his first visit to New Zealand earlier this month. We look forward to enhancing even further both our bilateral and ASEAN relationships at the dialogue partners' meeting in Hanoi in October.

Fifth ASEAN Summit

The past year has been a busy and significant period for ASEAN diplomacy. The Fifth ASEAN Summit, held in Bangkok last December was an important milestone for ASEAN and its partners in the Asia-Pacific region. There were major outcomes, including:

(i) The signing of the South East Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ))

(ii) Acceleration of the AFI'A timetable to the year 2003.

(iii) Agreement to incorporate Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar into ASEAN by the year 2000 to form "One South East Asia".

(iv) Acceptance of India as a dialogue partner

(v) Inauguration of ASEAN-Mekong Basin Development Cooperation.

(vi) Agreement of the Leaders to meet annually in informal session.

These outcomes show that ASEAN is accelerating its aims in the words of the ASEAN Declaration - to "strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of South East Asian Nations". New Zealand welcomes the confidence which has enabled the adoption of these far-sighted policies.

Development Cooperation

New Zealand's partnership with ASEAN continues to grow in importance and scope. Originally, the relationship was based mainly on regional security concerns and development imperatives. We remain committed to maintaining our security links with ASEAN countries as well as ensuring that the important development needs of our ASEAN partners arc addressed through the bilateral Official Development Assistance programmes. Our regional assistance through the ASEAN/New Zealand Economic Cooperation Programme, and to ASEAN institutions such as SEAMEO and AIT, will also continue to receive high priority.

I should mention that New Zealand has long been actively involved in the Mekong area. We particularly welcome changes in the region which will enable us to contribute more substantively. Important among these developments is the move to membership of ASEAN by Cambodia and Laos. Recognising the tremendous human resource needs in the region, we have recently joined in partnership with Thailand to set up at Khon Kaen University 'an Economic Cooperation and Development Institute for the Mekong countries including Myanmar, and Yunnan Province in southern China. The main role of the Institute will be to assist public and private sector managers to undertake the transition to market economies. Around 70 students will start courses next year. We hope to associate these efforts closely with the ASEAN Mekong Basin Development Cooperation initiative.

We are, therefore, keen to learn more about this important new ASEAN undertaking in tile Mekong region. Indeed, taking a lead from this initiative, and bearing in mind the development needs in Mekong countries, I wonder whether the time has now come to review the direction of' the ASEAN-New Zealand Economic Cooperation Programme and give it a special focus oil tile Mekong member countries.

Trade

Over the 21 years, New Zealand's relationship with ASEAN has moved well beyond issues of security and development. Now there are added economic and demographic dimensions. Five of New Zealand's top twenty export markets are ASEAN countries, and our imports from ASEAN have increased in value by over 100% in the last five years. New Zealand companies are working with partners in the region on joint projects, sometimes in third countries. Investors from ASEAN are taking a larger stake in the New Zealand economy, particularly in our tourism industry. New Zealand companies in turn are following with growing interest the consolidation or ASEAN regional economic cooperation and the accelerated implementation of AFTA.

The basic import and export data oil goods heavily understates the depth and breadth of our economic relationship with ASEAN. Alongside growth in investment, services trade and consultancy work are expanding rapidly. Education and training links are also developing at a fast pace and are contributing to human resources development.

Education Links

Beyond education's role in development, it can contribute significantly over the longer term to International understanding and relations. In this respect, I had tile privilege earlier this week to witness the signature of' a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Indonesia and New Zealand's University of Otago. They have undertaken to work on developing joint research programmes, as well as staff and student exchanges. I believe such lingkages are enormously important not just because of the immediate benefits of collaboration, but because of the valuable contacts, understanding and confidence which are built up over time. I am told that ASEAN understanding and confidence which are built up over time. Ministers of Education and the Vice-Chancellors of two universities in each country have this year agreed to promote further cooperation among their institutions. I wonder what scope exists for these cooperative efforts, bilateral and regional, to be brought together. Perhaps we should be looking to build on our partnership by encouraging new links between ASEAN's regional arrangements and the bilateral links we dialogue countries have with this region.

AFTA/CER

It is appropriate and welcome that ASEAN and CER have recently embarked on a new dialogue to facilitate trade and investment linkages between the member countries of AFTA and CER. We attach a high priority to this work. Some useful activities are already underway and will be reviewed by trade and economic Ministers when they meet in Jakarta next month. For example, at ASEAN's invitation, CER has developed a draft MOU in the important area of cooperation on standards and conformance. We hope the umbrella MOU can be signed by ASEAN and CER Ministers jointly in September. Useful work is also underway on customs facilitation. We look forward to developing this dialogue with you to our mutual benefit.

People-to-People Contact

In 1995, 84,000 tourists from ASEAN countries visited New Zealand, part of a 23% annual increase from all Asia. In addition New Zealand received 4000 migrants from the ASEAN countries last year, while over 5000 of Your young people are currently studying in New Zealand. Our ASIA 2OOO Foundation, which was conceived in 1992 and established two years later is going from strength to strength in enhancing New Zealanders' knowledge of ASIA. Government and. Significant, private sector financial support has increased substantially. The Foundation has a new Chairman, my colleague Hon Philip Burdon, Minister of Trade Negotiations, a new Executive Director (who was recently our Ambassador in Thailand), and an expanded Board of Directors. The general support we are now seeing for ASIA 2000 shows that there is a genuine interest among New Zealanders to increase understanding of and linkages with the countries of Asia.

Outside exchanges promoted by ASIA 2000 we have also enjoyed close contact at the political level. Over the past two years we have hosted visits to New Zealand from HE Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore, HM the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, HE Mr Do Muoi, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, HE President Ramos of the Philippines and HE Prime Minister Dr Mahathir of Malaysia, while several ASEAN leaders who are also the Heads of Commonwealth countries attended CHOGM in Auckland last November. We have also been pleased to welcome a wide range of ASEAN Ministers and officials to New Zealand over the same period.

PMC Renovation

These bilateral contacts usefully supplement regional meetings such as this one, tile ARF' and the annual APEC series. The rapid developments of the regional security dialogue at the ARF and tile regional economic dialogue at APEC are particularly significant and have affected the substance of the traditional PMC agendas, especially that of the plenary. We believe that it is important for the "7 plus 10" to be restructured with all agenda and/or format which minimises duplication especially of the ARF agenda, and ensures that PMC plenary meeting continue to attract high level representation. From New Zealand's perspective, the separate sessions involving Ministers from ASEAN and each of the dialogue partners will continue to provide an important vehicle for a regular and focussed review of our "bilateral" relationship. These meetings should in our view be retained in a way which preserves their objectives.

I have already suggested in a letter to this years ASEAN Chairman, HE Ali Alatas, that perhaps future PMCs could begin with a presentation by the Chair about the outcomes of the ASEAN Ministers Meeting, and the floor thrown open afterwards for informal discussion about the AMM and other matters of interest to participants. Further value could be added by giving each plenary a particular focus or theme, which would allow for more in-depth discussion and perhaps a more substantive result. It would seem desirable to carry oil this process of reflection.

The 29th ASEAN PMC is the largest, in terms of number of ASEAN members and dialogue partners, to date. By the year 2000 there are likely to be 10 ASEANs and who knows how many dialogue partners. Inevitably the old ASEAN/dialogue partner relationships will lose some of their intimacy due to the pressure of' logistics and time constraints on ASEAN members. Nevertheless, I am sure that as ASEAN grows so too will the substance of the relationship that exists between ASEAN and New Zealand and the other dialogue partners who are brought together with us at this annual series of meetings so vital to the security and prosperity of our region.