The pact covers tighter defence cooperation, including with naval exercises, as well as stronger ties in trade, diplomacy, culture, sport and science, the two countries said in a joint statement.
The nations have a shared interest in a “free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific”, they said.
The two countries “quickly canvassed” the Chinese missile test, Luxon told reporters in a briefing after the talks.
He skirted a question about whether closer New Zealand-India ties would curb Beijing’s ambitions in the region.
“We are a small trading nation. We are a maritime nation. We need to have as many relationships as we possibly can with partners around the world that are like-minded, and some of those are around defence, and some of those around trade, some around both.”
“WONDERFUL AUDIENCE”
In the evening, the two leaders fronted an estimated 10,000 or more cheering Modi fans from the country’s 300,000-strong Indian diaspora who packed into Auckland’s Spark Arena.
“Before me I see a wonderful audience in which there is the light of a developed India and the prosperity of New Zealand,” Modi told supporters, many of whom stood and chanted his name.
Luxon praised the Indian diaspora, declaring: “Without you we simply would not be the New Zealand we are today.”
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