As other BFD contributors have noted, the Ardern government is letting New Zealand’s traditional alliances drift away, even as those allies are engaging in region-shaping new partnerships. While New Zealand’s strongest historical partner is in the thick of a, shall we say, robust dialogue with an aggressive, expansionist China, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern continually snipes at Australia and Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta babbles inanities about taniwhas and dragons.
Less well-noted was Mahuta’s further undermining of one of New Zealand’s last remaining post-war security alliances.
New Zealand has told Australia and its other Five Eyes partners the US, Canada and the UK that it is “uncomfortable” about expanding the role of the grouping beyond intelligence sharing, as Wellington tries to avoid a breakdown in its relationship with China.
In an acknowledgment of New Zealand’s difficult strategic environment, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the Ardern government was becoming “more alert to the values that differentiate” Wellington from Beijing, citing concerns on Hong Kong, the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang and cyber attacks.
“It’s not getting any easier to be a small country,” she said.
Remember when the last Labour government blithely babbled about New Zealand’s “incredibly benign strategic environment”? I suppose this is progress of a sort. But for the rest of it, Mahuta is trying to walk a barbed-wire fence with a foot in each paddock.
Even the Ardern government has apparently realised that it simply cannot square its self-proclaimed huggy-bunny virtue at the same that it’s kissing the shiny boots of the Nazi Germany of the 21st century.
One suspects that there will be strong words, behind the scenes at least, when Australia’s formidable Foreign Minister Marise Payne hits Wellington along with Pacific Minister Zed Seselja.
Australia’s representatives will not have forgotten the Ardern government’s back-biting in the Pacific.
Less than three months ago, New Zealand Trade Minister Damien O’Connor set off a Trans-Tasman storm — widely reported in China’s state-controlled media — after he said Australia “should follow us and show respect” to improve its relationship with President Xi Jinping’s administration.
Mahuta is trying to have each-way bets all round: putting out the fires Jacinda Ardern keeps lighting under Australia’s feet, while at the same time holding out their hand for China’s filthy lucre. Yet, at the same time as they’re scrabbling for that sweet, sweet Yuan, Labour are putting up a show of not going all the way with Beijing.
In January, New Zealand upgraded its free-trade agreement with China, the world’s second-biggest economy that last week recorded its fastest rate of first-quarter growth.
Ms Mahuta warned her audience at the New Zealand China Council that economic resilience required diversification beyond the China market. “It is prudent not to put all eggs into a single basket,” she said.
For all that it’s trying to maintain a face of neutrality, though, the Ardern government is notably white-anting a key strategic alliance – thereby pleasing China very much indeed.
After the speech, Ms Mahuta said New Zealand had pushed back on the use of joint statements by the Five Eyes’ member countries.
“We have raised with Five Eyes partners that we are uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the Five Eyes relationship,” she said.
We would much rather prefer to look for multilateral opportunities to express our interests on a number of issues.”
China’s state media has in recent months fixated on the intelligence sharing grouping, calling it an “axis of white supremacy”.
The Australian
No doubt it’s just a coincidence that Ardern and Co are putting more and more distance between themselves and their Five Eyes partners.
Otherwise it might look very much as though Beijing is pulling the New Zealand government’s strings.
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