New Zealand PM Stands Firm on ‘Mature’ Relationship With Beijing

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern shake hands before the meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on April 1, 2019. (Kenzaburo Fukuhara/Pool/Getty Images)

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stood by her government’s relationship with Beijing, saying that there was still a need to “work together” in areas of mutual interest, despite its “growing assertiveness” in the region.

“China is a very important trading partner for us, but it’s also a mature relationship for us,” Ardern told the BBC.

“Where there are areas we can work together, we will—but there will always be areas in which we will not necessarily agree and when those areas arise, we are very forthright and clear on our position.”

Ardern questioned the need for the Solomon Islands security deal, which has given the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) grounds to establish a military presence in the region.

“Australia and New Zealand both have heeded the call of the Solomons for support during recent disruption,“ she said. ”And we’ve again highlighted that should any extended need exist, we are there to help and support. So ... what gap remains that requires such an agreement with China?”

Ardern also said she didn’t believe the security deal was a wake-up call because she had been pointing out that they were in a highly contested region for some time.

“The world is changing around us and our region is a manifestation of that,” she said.

“On our specific relationship with China, we have a fiercely independent foreign policy and I’m proud of the position New Zealand takes.”

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern promotes the COVID-19 booster vaccine at the new vaccination centre at the Cloud in Auckland, New Zealand on Feb. 4, 2022. (Goodall/Getty Images)

Ardern has faced criticism for her failure to speak strongly on opposing the Chinese regime on issues such as Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and the military expansion in the South China Sea.

Chen Weijian, an editor with U.S.-based pro-democracy publication, Beijing Spring, previously said New Zealand had tried to “walk a tightrope” between the West and the CCP.

“It attempts to maintain a strong trade relationship with Beijing while keeping its values of respecting human rights,” Chen told The Epoch Times, noting that this would not work.

“The terms—human rights abuse or genocide—are no different to the Chinese Communist Party; they both mean New Zealand is no longer on its side.”

Under the former Labour coalition government, New Zealand had a stronger public stance against the Chinese regime.

Winston Peters, the former foreign minister and leader of New Zealand First, the centrist party that formed a coalition with Labour, was consistently outspoken on Beijing’s transgressions, including its takeover of Hong Kong, its expansion into the South Pacific, and foreign interference.

However, following the 2020 landslide victory for the Labour Party, which saw New Zealand First party ousted, the government has shifted in its position.

Ministers from other nations in the Five Eyes alliance described New Zealand as being an “ethical mess” for their soft stance on Beijing.

While Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta warned its exporters in 2021 to diversify away from China, the Ardern government “upgraded” its free trade agreement with China in January.

Daniel Y. Teng and Dorothy Li contributed to this article.