New Zealand’s new foreign minister said the country could help negotiate the Australian and China heavyweights issue with both countries caught up in increasing trade and international conflicts.
Nanaia Mahuta on Tuesday said the hosting of a high-level Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference next year presented an opportunity for New Zealand to bring both sides to the table.
What Did Nanaia Mahuta Say?
“I believe there is a possibility that New Zealand will create a different environment and have a dialogue? Yes I do, ”said Mahuta.
“Hosting the Apec may be an opportunity … but both parties will have to be willing to come together and agree on some areas where they are currently at odds.”
Relations have deteriorated with new immigration laws and investment laws in Australia, calling for an investigation into the origins of coronavirus and Chinese restrictions outside Australia.
Australia-China Relations
The situation escalated last month after a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman posted a digital photo of an Australian soldier holding a bloody knife in the throat of an Afghan child. New Zealand has expressed concern with China through the image.
“I don’t think a Twitter relationship could be achieved if we were given incorrect information on social media,” Mahuta said. “We need to go back to the tried and tested way of negotiations and ensure that the doors are open so that people can deal with certain issues.”
Alexander Gillespie, a law professor at the University of Waikato, said New Zealand was well established to try to bring peace.
“There is no guarantee that getting both sides to sit down and speak calmly will work,” he said. “It could be a very long road, and a long way forward – but you would be heading in the opposite direction right now.”
First Maori Foreign Minister Of New Zealand
The first Maori woman to hold the position, Mahuta, highlighted the fact that the New Zealand whakapapa, or relative contact, is returning to the Asian region. “That enables us to move on in our relations with China which is perhaps a little different than other countries,” he said.
Mahuta has joined Five Eyes intelligence partners – Australia, the UK, Canada and the US – in criticizing China for suspending lawmakers in Hong Kong. This has angered China, which has responded by warning the western coalition that it could be “irrational”.
Under Jacinda Ardern, whose government took office a second time in October, New Zealand criticized Chinese lending to small Pacific islands, raised concerns about Muslim Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang region and supported Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization despite warnings from Beijing.
Little known outside of New Zealand, Mahuta was a surprise decision as Ardern’s foreign minister in the country’s most diverse cabinet at the moment. Her moko kauae, or facial tattoo, has attracted a lot of attention.
“Curiosity is the operative word,” she said when asked how people have reacted.
