Wang Yia Ora
On Monday, top diplomat Wang Yi was in New Zealand where he met with:
- Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
- Foreign Minister Winston Peters
- Trade Minister Todd McClay
Some context: Despite rising Sino-Western tensions, Wellington has maintained friendly ties with Beijing.
- But New Zealand has become wary of China’s increasingly assertive behavior in the region, and recently expressed interest in joining the US-UK-Australia security pact (AUKUS) reviled by Beijing.
Wang said the two countries should focus on the positive. That means implementing their upgraded FTA and starting negotiations on a negative list for the service trade.
According to Wang (Xinhua 1):
- “China-New Zealand relations maintain a leading position among China's relations with developed countries.”
- “China's…door to New Zealand will always be open.”
Huanying Guanglin: He also invited Luxon to visit China.
In his meeting with Wang, Peters highlighted “areas of cooperation” while acknowledging “areas of difference such as human rights,” and expressing New Zealand’s (Beehive):
- “Concerns over increased tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.”
Get smart: New Zealand presents an important test case for whether or not Beijing's economics-first approach to foreign relations still holds sway with Western democracies increasingly under pressure from the US to distance themselves from Beijing.