New Zealand Teetering Between China and Western Allies

New Zealand Concludes First Ministerial Visit to Beijing in Years

New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta speaks during a press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand on Oct. 4, 2022. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta concluded the first ministerial visit to China since COVID began, noting the Chinese regime’s human rights abuses and inviting her Chinese counterpart to visit New Zealand.

“Our discussions were wide-ranging, covering all aspects of our bilateral relationship,” she said.

“We look forward to the resumption of a range of in-person high-level discussions and officials’ dialogues, including on foreign affairs, climate change, human rights, the Pacific, and trade, which provide a valuable platform for engagement.”

Mahuta also brought up the human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, erosion of rights and freedom in Hong Kong, expressed concerns over increasing tension in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, and reiterated New Zealand’s condemnation of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

“Aotearoa New Zealand would be concerned by any provision of lethal aid in support of Russia’s illegal war,” she said.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese regime highly values its relationship with New Zealand.

Mahuta is reported to have told Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang that New Zealand attached “great importance” to Beijing’s influence, is “firmly committed” to the one-China policy, and expected to strengthen high-level interactions.

Qin said China and New Zealand had set an example for friendly relations between countries with different social systems, histories, and cultures.

During her visit, Mahuta also met with Qin’s predecessor, Wang Yi, who said that China appreciated New Zealand’s “objective and friendly view” and “positive policy” toward China.

Mahuta told Radio New Zealand that a range of issues are at play in the dialogue “beyond trade and the economy,” including “being able to have conversations on issues we don’t agree on.”

“That’s why we take seriously the way in which we look after the relationship with China,” she said.

This visit may open the door to further ministerial visits to Beijing, including by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner, with New Zealand upgrading its free trade agreement with China in 2022. This included providing tariff-free access for 99 percent of New Zealand’s $4 billion (US$2.5 billion) wood and paper trade.

Allies Move In Response to Rising Indo-Pacific Tensions As New Zealand Stays Still

Mahuta’s visit to Beijing comes as New Zealand’s traditional allies increase military cooperation in response to China’s increasing aggression in the region.

On March 13, Australia signed a $368 billion (US$260 billion) nuclear submarine deal with the United Kingdom and the United States.

Since the announcement of the AUKUS pact in September 2021, New Zealand has remained ambiguous on its stance towards the alliance.

At the time, former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern noted that she was “pleased” to see the increased engagement of the UK and the U.S. in the region but noted that New Zealand’s nuclear-free policy meant Australia’s future subs would not be allowed into its waters.

The New Zealand government has not provided additional comment on its position since the details of the nuclear sub-deal were announced.

NZ Opposition Critical of AUKUS

However, the opposition’s foreign affairs spokesman Gerry Brownlee has been critical of the deal, claiming it would make New Zealand less safe.

“What I don’t like is the concept that we just seem to be dividing the world,” he told AAP, criticising the way Western countries painted the Chinese regime as “the enemy.”

Brownlee has a history of agreeing with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda, including calling human rights abuses in Xinjiang an internal “terrorism problem” and echoing the party line that the CCP “lifted” tens of millions of people out of poverty.

Former Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark, who served from 1999 to 2008, also said on Twitter that New Zealand’s interests “do not lie in being associated with AUKUS; association would be damaging to independent foreign policy.”

New Zealand First party leader Winston Peters said Clark was “talking bulldust,” noting that the AUKUS agreement shouldn’t be over analysed.

He added that Brownlee’s argument was an “astonishing statement to make.”

“The reality is, as proven to be so true in so many cases in history, the best deterrence from attacks is the threat that the attack is going to be a failure,” he told AAP.

Peters said AUKUS highlighted the need for New Zealand to increase its own military investment.

According to the World Bank, in 2022, New Zealand’s military expenditure was estimated at around 1.37 percent of GDP, which pales compared to AUKUS nations.