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Summarised by Centrist
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has dismissed warnings of a “trade war” as “hysterical” and “short-sighted,” taking a thinly veiled swipe at Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s recent diplomacy over US tariffs.
Speaking from Hawai‘i as part of a Pacific tour, Peters criticised the use of military rhetoric around international trade and said New Zealand must act with “pragmatism” and patience, not panic.
“In recent weeks, the tendency to hype up a debate about how international trade works into a black-and-white, polarising issue has been unfortunate and misguided,” Peters said in a speech at the East-West Center.
He took aim at the framing of the tariff issue as a fight or war: “It has at times come across as hysterical and short-sighted.”
The comments follow Luxon’s decision to call world leaders about the evolving US tariff regime—without consulting Peters. Last week, Luxon said rising tariffs were causing economic pain and threatened to drag the world into a global trade war, warning it would “slow global growth” and “hurt jobs.”
Peters cautioned against kneejerk diplomacy. “It is in New Zealand’s interests, as a small country, to be cautious, to be modest, to be pragmatic, and to be practical. To wait for the dust to settle before making choices we may later regret.”
He also urged respect in foreign relations, recalling past tensions with the US in the 1980s: “Close friends do not need to be, and should not be, confrontational and rude with one another.”
Despite current disagreements, Peters reaffirmed New Zealand’s commitment to partnership with the United States, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
Image: Doug Mountain
