Kerry talks TPPA and getting it across line
United States Secretary of State John Kerry has described his country’s relationship with New Zealand as being ‘‘as good as it’s ever been’’.
Kerry met Prime Minister John Key in Wellington yesterday, and said he ‘‘couldn’t be more grateful for the extraordinary leadership New Zealand provides’’. In return, Key said how valuable both Kerry and President Barack Obama’s relationship was, and the ‘‘good humour and heart’’ that came with it.
‘‘You can’t have a relationship that continues to go from strength to strength by accident - like a marriage, you have to work at it.’’
Key said Kerry’s engagement with New Zealand had gone ‘‘well beyond what could have been expected’’. ‘‘You’ve always been there to answer the phone and make calls when it’s necessary,’’ he said.
Kerry flew into Wellington on Saturday night after a visit to Antarctica. The ill-fated Transpacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) was back on the agenda, though it has effectively been stymied by a Donald Trump victory in the US presidential elections. Kerry said the benefits of TPPA for everybody meant he thought it would not be abandoned. ‘‘President Obama and I are deeply committed to it. The fact it may not be taken up in the lame duck session isn’t dispositive of where the country might go on this issue.’’
Kerry said he expected Americans to have ‘‘robust debate’’ about the TPPA and there’s enough benefits to get it across the line.
There was not a nation in the world that could gain ‘‘long-term prosperity’’ without trade, he said.
‘‘There’s room for us to do a better job of it but still not abandon it.’’ This week Key all but wrote off the TPPA, saying it had no chance of getting through in the lame duck period before President-elect Trump is inaugurated on January 20. While he plans to put it back on the table, the departure of Obama means the significant trade deal between 12 countries is on the rocks. This week, the US Ambassador to New Zealand Mark Gilbert placed a presidential visit firmly back on the table.
‘‘The president and his family all want to come,’’ Gilbert said.
‘‘It was just a question of when that would be a possibility.
‘‘Whether he comes before he leaves office or after he leaves office, I do believe that he will come to New Zealand.’’
Before his term ends? ‘‘You just don’t know,’’ said Gilbert.
Kerry is the highest-ranked US diplomat to visit the ice, and his trip this week included a tour of the New Zealand-run Scott Base, as well as a helicopter trip to witness the effects of climate change. ’’Let me just say what an extraordinary experience it was and how impressed I am by the remarkable commitment of so many scientists and so many involved people to learn more to be able to help guide important policy decisions.’’
Kerry wrapped up his time in Wellington laying a wreath at Pukeahu War Memorial Park and unveiling a plaque at the site of a future US memorial. - Fairfax NZ