This week, I will travel to Namibia to lead Australia's delegation to the Commonwealth Trade Ministers' Meeting where I will advocate for Australia's trade interests, including strengthening the global trading system.
I look forward to working with Commonwealth Trade Ministers to send a strong signal of support for open, rules-based trade and to build momentum for World Trade Organization (WTO) reform.
We will discuss how to promote greater intra-Commonwealth trade and investment, including cooperation to boost economic resilience, facilitate a sustainable energy transition and deepen partnerships with the private sector.
I will also travel to South Africa to discuss its G20 agenda and progress a relationship underpinned by significant trade and investment, people-to-people links and multilateral cooperation.
In 2024, our two countries traded over $4 billion worth of goods and services and had $15 billion invested in each other's economies across a range of sectors, including mining and education.
South Africans are Australia's seventh-largest diaspora group at over 200,000 people and we share deep cultural and academic ties, including a passion for sport.