The latest trip is the PM's fifth visit to a South East Asian country this year. Photo: RNZ/ Nate McKinnon
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon maintains the East Asia Summit (EAS) is still relevant, as he touches down in Laos on Thursday morning for the annual gathering of regional leaders.
Ahead of his departure from Whenuapai on Wednesday afternoon, Luxon characterised the whirlwind 37-hour trip as part of his drive to "lift the intensity and urgency of foreign relationships", particularly in South East Asia.
This trip marks Luxon's fifth visit to a South East Asian country this year, part of a "very deliberate" redoubled effort on the region.
It comes as an increasing number of analysts question the influence of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), pointing to United States President Joe Biden's no-show at the EAS for two years running.
PM Luxon arrives in Laos for East Asia Summit
US secretary of state Antony Blinken will attend instead. A recent piece in the Economist argued the Biden administration had "mostly stopped trying to persuade the region of its position on China in talking-shops like the East Asia Summit".
Asked directly whether the summit remained relevant, Luxon told RNZ it was. He said prime ministers had made attending the forum a long-standing priority, given New Zealand's security and economic interests in the Indo-Pacific.
"We want a peaceful and stable region. And we also need to continue to advance our economic interests. So there'll be conversations on both those topics."
Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs senior research fellow Orson Tan said all eyes would be on this year's summit, given the many fractures between attendees, whether on the South China Sea, Ukraine, or the Middle East.
Tan told RNZ the gathering was one of the few chances for small nations to send a collective message to the belligerent behemoths.
"All these overlapping conflicts are creating a sense of, you know, every man for themselves," Tan said.
"Obviously the big fracture we are looking at is between China and the USA... it's a matter of power and who stands at the top of the global hierarchy in our Asia Pacific region."
Tan said the big worry for Asean was that big players stopped turning up to summits like EAS, hence the importance of New Zealand making a case for its relevance: "There's no better mechanism than dialogue... to understand where each other is coming from".
Labour Party foreign affairs spokesperson David Parker has not been shy in criticising the coalition on foreign policy, accusing it of foolishly aligning with the US against China.
Parker told RNZ that Luxon must use this year's summit to diversify relationships, not pick sides.
"When I see Christopher Luxon going overseas, heralding a new realignment towards the Philippines, or towards Aukus, it worries me, and I think it worries many New Zealanders, because they didn't vote for that."
New Zealand is a founding member of the East Asia Summit. It comprises the 10 Asean members - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam - as well as Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the US.
Sitdowns on the sidelines
Arguably, from New Zealand's perspective, the visit will be more important for the sideline conversations with world leaders, both formally and informally.
Before departing, Luxon said he had lined up "a substantial number of bilateral meetings".
Top of Luxon's dance card would be India's prime minister Narenda Modi in what would be their first face-to-face meeting.
Luxon has made much of his desire for New Zealand to draw closer to India, even promising to visit New Delhi in his first year in government.
He has since conceded that was now unlikely for logistical reasons. That does not bode well for his other big pre-election pledge - to seal a free trade deal with India this term.
New Zealand first started negotiating a trade deal with India in 2010, under Sir John Key's government. But after five years, talks stalled and there has been little movement since.
Trade Minister Todd McClay visited India in August, but formal trade negotiations have yet to resume.
More generally, trade will - as always - be a key feature of the PM's quickfire trip, with plans for him to address the Asean Business and Investment Summit.
Asean New Zealand Business Council executive director Liz Bell will also be attending. She told RNZ there were huge opportunities for New Zealand to explore in South East Asia, particularly when it comes to food and beverage, education and tourism.
"We possibly haven't prioritized [the region] as much as we have other countries. And you can probably guess where those focuses have previously been.
"So it's good to see the government is not putting all its eggs in one basket... they're really spreading the opportunity around."
Luxon is due to arrive back in New Zealand early Saturday.