“Just one month after the New Zealand Government hosted the Chinese Premier in New Zealand, and with no hint of a major change in New Zealand foreign policy in the National Party’s election campaign last year, the Prime Minister’s comments to the Financial Times strongly suggest that he has abandoned New Zealand’s independent foreign policy”, said former Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Leader of the National Party Don Brash.
“In his interview with the Financial Times, the Prime Minister spoke of New Zealand defence assets being a “force multiplier” for Australia, the United States, and others; of completing a “status of visiting forces agreement” with the Philippines which would facilitate New Zealand making military deployments there; of boosting defence spending at a time when public spending is under pressure; and of continuing to “name and shame” China for alleged spying. He also asserted that New Zealand is “very open” to participating in the second pillar of AUKUS – a position which goes well beyond “exploring” options for engagement with it.
“These statements orient New Zealand towards being a full-fledged military ally of the United States, with the implication that New Zealand will increasingly be dragged into US-China competition, including militarily in the South China Sea. While the rhetoric from both sides is heightened, it must be noted that the US is demanding that China accept the presence of US naval forces in its vicinity in a way which the US itself would not for a moment accept if the boot were on the other foot.
“Does China spy on New Zealand? Almost certainly, just as the US, the UK, and countless others, including New Zealand, spy on other countries. Is China the only country spying on New Zealand, and is it only governments that engage in spying? Almost certainly not. The obsessive focus on spying by China suggests an agenda going beyond alerting and equipping New Zealanders to better manage all relevant risks.
“China not only poses no military threat to New Zealand, but it is also by a very substantial margin our biggest export market – more than twice as important as an export market for New Zealand as the US is.
“New Zealand has a huge stake in maintaining a cordial relationship with China. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to maintain such a relationship if the Government continues to align its positioning with that of the United States.
“New Zealand has for decades sought engagement with China and its inclusion in the international system. A policy of isolating China serves no one’s interests, and has major implications for New Zealand’s economic security.
“A better approach would be to follow the example of Singapore – friendly to both China and the US, but definitely not in a treaty relationship with either. The course which the New Zealand Government is now taking, with no electoral mandate for a radical change to foreign policy, carries huge risks to our country”, Helen Clark and Don Brash said.
Rt Hon Helen Clark and Dr Don Brash, 16 July, 2024
I think Helen sees everything through old red tinged glasses these days and Don struggles to read the room as he always has. New Zealand from my understanding of Luxon's position is to stand against any country or regime that seeks to impose it's will through force on an independent free sovereign country.
The fact that we have decided to align with like minded countries in a partnership/agreement (due to this belief) is a logical step. An alliance of like minded countries. It also sends a clear message of lines that should not be crossed. Given the erratic nature of some countries in our region such as North Korea it makes logical sense. If China believes in that same …
"Vance wants the US to wind down its support for Ukraine so it could focus more on building up in the Asia Pacific and arming Taiwan.
“The thing that we can control now is making it costly for [China] to invade Taiwan, and we’re not doing that because we’re sending all the damn weapons to Ukraine and not Taiwan,” he told the Times."
Neville Chamberlain tried to placate Germany in the 1930's. That didn't turn out well.
A strategy of saying "please don't, please don't" while retreating isn't a winning strategy.
A strategy of having a wide market of customers, without being overly exposed to any one of them, so that you can say "I no longer want to deal with you", is a better strategy.
SJW's do that all the time because it is effective. Yes i know NZ won't affect that other party, but it provides the means to protect oneself from actors with bad behavior.
Hot off the press. Winston's (advisers) view on shoring up our future security;
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/522589/foreign-affairs-minister-winston-peters-speaks-at-pacific-islands-leaders-meeting
Same old same old.
He says "The government is also renewing engagement with "traditional like-minded partnerships" and supporting new groupings that "advance and defend our interests and capabilities". He mentions the IP4 and NATO as examples".
NATO was created as a defensive alliance & should have been disbanded in the 1990's. No surprise then that the failure to do so has really pissed Russia off, hence the bloody mess in Ukraine today.
NATO has morphed into the opposite, it's now an aggressive, expansionist tool of American hegemonic foreign policy. They have no place in or nothing to offer our region & we'd be well advised to…
Clark and Brash mean well and are decent people on a personal level
They have lived through a period defined by the fall of the Berlin Wall
Following that event democracy flourished and Clark and Brash have been shaped by that period of history
Modern China opposes western style democracy
Modern China is the leader in dismantling western style democracies
I believe it is against Kiwi culture to sit back and let Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam do all the heavy lifting in trying to contain the advance of China who seeks to dismantle what is left of western democracies