Jacinda Ardern defends New Zealand’s ‘independent’ China policy

Jacinda Ardern acknowledges the difficulty of dealing with Beijing, as her mentor defends NZ from ‘slurs’ made by Canberra and London.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Picture: AFP

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has spokely frankly about the rising difficulty of dealing with Xi Jinping’s China as her political mentor Helen Clark defended New Zealand from “slurs” made by Canberra and London.

In a speech on Monday, Prime Minister Ardern spoke directly about the challenge posed to New Zealand by China’s profoundly different history, worldview and political and legal system.

“We need to acknowledge that there are some things on which China and New Zealand do not, cannot, and will not agree,” Ms Ardern said in a speech in Auckland to the China Business Summit.

“This need not derail our relationship, it is simply a reality.”

New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in April. Picture: Getty Images

Ms Ardern’s speech came a fortnight after her new foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta said that Wellington had become “uncomfortable” about expanding the role of the Five Eyes grouping beyond intelligence sharing.

This caused unease among New Zealand’s Five Eyes partners, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

China's President Xi Jinping. Picture: AFP

Many in Wellington feel the Ardern government has been unfairly criticised by its partners and allies over New Zealand’s China policy.

At the same Auckland conference, former Labour New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark said she was “staggered” by comments in the Australian and British press suggesting Wellington had turned its back on its traditional partners to develop relations with China.

Ms Clark, who as Prime Minister employed Ms Ardern as a staffer, said that was a “slur”.

“New Zealand needs to have the self confidence to stand its ground,” she said.

She said the Five Eyes intelligence grouping should not have a public profile or be used for broader foreign policy coordination.

Former National Prime Minister John Key said New Zealand should not blindly follow the global rhetoric on China, which has “hardened, deteriorated and worsened” in the past few years.

Mr Key told the conference Australia had “always been a bit more robust” in its approach to China.

“I think it’s because it’s an active member of ANZUS,” he said, referring to the alliance treaty which New Zealand left after it refused entry to nuclear powered US vessels in the mid 1980s.

Ardern’s keynote address was the latest attempt by Wellington to defend its approach to managing Xi Jinping’s increasingly assertive China.

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. Picture: Alix Sweeney

A fortnight ago, Ardern was invited to address China’s flagship international summit the Boao Forum for Asia, at which she championed the rules-based international order, which has come under strain in recent years by Xi’s hardline government and the Trump administration.

Ardern on Monday directly addressed the challenge of China’s rising power.

“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,” she said.

“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,” she said.

“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.”

Ms Ardern also defended New Zealand’s approach to criticizing its biggest trading partner.

“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,” she said.

“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.”

New Zealand's former prime minister Sir John Key.

In late March, New Zealand did not join a statement of 14 countries, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States that criticised the World Health Organisation investigation into the origins of COVID-19 in China.

A statement - echoing much of the criticism in the joint statement - was eventually placed on the website of New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs and Trade department almost three weeks later.

Ms Ardern noted New Zealand had at times raised its concerns with China in private, at others joined large statements in the Human Rights Council and on occasion had joined with New Zealand’s Five Eyes partners, including over Beijing’s crackdown on political dissent in Hong Kong.

“We have commented publicly about our grave concerns regarding the human rights situation of Uyhgurs in Xinjiang,” she added.

Speaking after Prime Minister Ardern, China’s ambassador in New Zealand Wu Xi said Xinjiang and Hong Kong were China’s internal affairs.

Ambassador Wu told the conference that allegations of forced labour and genocide in Xinjiang were “total lies” and rumours fabricated by some anti-China forces without any evidence.

“We hope that the New Zealand side can hold an objective and just position, abide by international law, and not interfere in China’s internal affairs, so as to maintain the sound development of our bilateral relations,” she said.