WELLINGTON, July 19 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker will hold talks with his Pacific Alliance counterparts in Mexico next week to seek further progress on a free trade agreement with the four-nation grouping.
Parker will leave for Mexico on Saturday to attend the Pacific Alliance summit before travelling to Mexico City to promote the government's new Trade for All agenda, the minister said in a statement on Thursday.
The Pacific Alliance is made up of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. As a group, it is the world's sixth largest economy and home to over 220 million people.
With a new government in Chile, and recent elections in Colombia and Mexico, the summit is an opportunity to engage with new political leaders in the region, Parker said.
"We see significant potential to promote integration within our region, demonstrate our shared commitment to free trade and reject the rising tide of trade protectionism in the world," he said.
A progressive, high quality and comprehensive trade agreement with the Pacific Alliance will create new opportunities by reducing barriers and levelling the playing field while deepening connections with all four countries, the minister said.
"Mexico and New Zealand have a strong and well-established friendship with links that include trade, agriculture, sport, and the arts," said Parker who will meet Mexican and New Zealand business representatives in Mexico City.
Mexico is New Zealand's largest goods trading partner in Latin America.