Surplus, low debt give New Zealand further opportunities to strengthen economy: finance minister

Source: Xinhua| 2019-10-16 12:25:02|Editor: ZD
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WELLINGTON, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Finance Minister Grant Robertson said Wednesday that the country's economic strength and resilience have been recognised in an update on the state of the global economy.

Robertson made the remarks while commenting on an International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s report, noting that "the surplus and low debt give us further opportunities to strengthen the economy."

The IMF's latest World Economic Outlook released overnight shows a reduced global growth forecast over the next two years.

New Zealand is measured alongside a group of advanced economies by the IMF. Growth across this group as a whole is expected to be 1.7 percent in each of 2019 and 2020, down slightly from six months ago.

Among this group, New Zealand's growth forecasts have held steady at 2.5 percent in 2019, rising to 2.7 percent next year.

"Our Economic Plan has led to record infrastructure investment to boost the economy. This includes rebuilding hospitals like Middlemore, building new classrooms, and transport investment in areas neglected for too long, like regional roads and rail," Robertson said.

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