Finance Minister Bill English will this week discuss common economic and trade issues with counterparts from across Asia-Pacific at the APEC finance ministers meeting in Singapore.

Mr English, who leaves for Singapore on Wednesday, says the meeting is particularly important as global economies emerge from recession.

"I'm keen to look at the impact of the global financial crisis on monetary policy, financial regulation and fiscal management in the region.

"New Zealand has strong trade ties across Asia and the Pacific - just recently, we've signed a free trade agreement with Malaysia - and so APEC is important to us.

"It's a relatively small forum compared to some other international groupings, which means New Zealand, as a small trade-reliant country, can be more influential."

During the APEC finance ministers meeting, Mr English will also hold a number of bilateral meetings, including one with Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan and another with Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

Mr English returns to New Zealand on Friday.