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As US-China rivalry spikes, New Zealand avoiding getting pulled from ‘pillar to post’: minister
- Foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta said Wellington was carefully managing its ‘complex relationship’ with Beijing to prevent being sucked into superpower clash
- PM Chris Hipkins, who recently met Chinese President Xi Jinping, has faced criticism for going soft on human rights violations in Xinjiang
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New Zealand is carefully managing its relationship with China and must avoid getting pulled from “pillar and post” amid the strategic rivalry between Beijing and the United States, the Pacific nation’s foreign minister said on Friday.
Nanaia Mahuta’s comments come as Prime Minister Chris Hipkins nears the end of a six-day visit to China leading a trade delegation, which included meetings with China President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang focusing on economic partnership and trade.
Hipkins has faced domestic criticism for not spending more time during his visit raising New Zealand’s concerns about human rights violations in Xinjiang.
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“China’s a complex relationship that we manage very carefully,” Mahuta said.
She said Hipkins’ focus on trade did not shift New Zealand foreign policy but shows New Zealand has a range of interests with China.
In a statement after Hipkins’ meeting with Xi, there was no mention of human rights concerns or the Taiwan Strait. Both were noted in the readout of the meeting between former prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Xi in November 2022.
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