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.