Excerpt from today's PM Ardern's speech to the Chinese Business Summit.
"As Minister Mahuta observed in her speech to the New Zealand China Council, different perspectives can underpin cultural exchange and learning.
But some differences challenge New Zealand’s interests and values.
With that in mind, earlier I mentioned that I wanted to add a fourth takeaway point this morning.
And that is that:
Managing the relationship is not always going to be easy and there can be no guarantees.
What do I mean by this?
Given our two countries’ different histories, worldviews and political and legal systems, New Zealand and China are going to take different perspectives on some important issues.
We will continue to work through these in a consistent manner, as we have always done.
But as Minister Mahuta said last month, we need to acknowledge that there are some things on which China and New Zealand do not, cannot, and will not agree.
This need not derail our relationship, it is simply a reality.
New Zealand is an open, pluralistic, democracy, with a focus on transparency and the rule of law.
We take a principles-based approach to our foreign policy, and we make our decisions independently, informed by our own assessment of New Zealand's interests and values.
We have shown this quite clearly over the past year by deliberately choosing when we make public statements on issues of concern, and with whom.
New Zealanders expect their government to take a principled stance on issues, particularly where our values are at stake – I know this because I hear it directly from them.
The government will continue to act in a way that serves our interests, reflects our values and maintains our independent foreign policy.
In the past year, for example, we chose to raise some issues with China in private. But alongside this, we also chose to make public statements with a significant number of other countries in multilateral bodies such as the Human Rights Council.
At other times we have chosen to partner with Australia, the UK, the US and other countries that share our views and values.
And sometimes we spoke out alone.
We have commented publicly about our grave concerns regarding the human rights situation of Uyhgurs in Xinjiang.
I have raised these concerns with senior Chinese leaders on a number of occasions, including with the Guandong Party Secretary in September 2018, and then with China’s leaders when I visited in 2019.
You’ll know that, as a government, we have also spoken out about continued negative developments with regard to the rights, freedoms and autonomy of the people of Hong Kong.
Alongside areas of cooperation that I mentioned earlier, areas where we disagree form part of a comprehensive relationship.
Areas of difference need not define a relationship.
But equally, they are part and parcel of New Zealand staying true to who we are as a nation.
And it will not have escaped the attention of anyone here that as China’s role in the world grows and changes, the differences between our systems – and the interests and values that shape those systems – are becoming harder to reconcile.
This is a challenge that we, and many other countries across the Indo Pacific region, but also in Europe and other regions, are also grappling with.
As a significant power, the way that China treats its partners is important for us.
And we will continue to promote the things that we believe in, and support the rules-based system that underpins our collective well-being.
As I said in my recent remarks to the Bo’ao Forum for Asia, New Zealand is a strong supporter of the rules, norms and international frameworks that govern global affairs.
We are active members of the WTO, WHO, the bodies upholding the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, international climate change arrangements, and international human rights treaties, among others.
Rules, norms and institutions provide the basis for our prosperity and security; and they facilitate cooperation on global issues that can only be solved collectively.
I’d again echo the words of Minister Mahuta. We hope that China too sees it in its own core interests to act in the world in ways that are consistent with its responsibilities as a growing power, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council."
I think that she's attempting to lay out her view of the relationship, but it's still what I would call somewhat fence sitting. IIRC this is the second time this government has said that the way that China treats its partners is important to them. That and the other comments about NZ being a strong supporter of the rules based order does make Ardern's position clear and it will be interesting to see what the PRC reaction will be, because it is a subtle dig at them.
Another point she made was this "...
the differences between our systems – and the interests and values that shape those systems – are becoming harder to reconcile." Here she could possibly be signalling that NZ is about to make a choice and that it won't be in China’s favour. We can live but in hope.
