Peters and US secretary of state in wide-ranging talks
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says he is ‘‘very encouraged’’ about New Zealand’s position to secure an exemption on steel trade tariffs with the United States.
The acting prime minister spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an arranged phone call with his counterpart yesterday morning.
Peters said the call was positive and the pair discussed a wide-ranging set of issues. That included the recent ruling out of the US Supreme Court upholding President Donald Trump’s executive order, banning immigrants from seven predominantly-Muslim states.
At the implementation of that law, there was confusion regarding the ability to travel for New Zealand citizens who may have previously travelled to those countries, to visit family.
It’s not clear whether that issue had been resolved however, Peters suggested there had been progress in pushing New Zealand’s case for exemptions to steel trade tariffs.
It was one of several issues the pair discussed in a 20-minute phone call.
‘‘Most definitely we did and I was very encouraged with his comments about how he saw our belief that we were wrongfully collateral damage. And there are trade officials who are seriously working on it now,’’ Peters said. ‘‘I don’t want to say what we hope will be the case until it is in fact, an achieved outcome. But I was very encouraged by it.’’
Earlier this year, President Trump opted to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from nearly every country in to the US, barring a small number of exemptions.
The pair also discussed their next meeting, which would be in August in Singapore.
The call comes comes just a week after Trump reversed a policy of separating migrant children at the US border in the face of widespread domestic opposition.
Peters did not openly criticise the policy while it was in place, but his officials were in talks with the US embassy expressing New Zealand’s concern.
‘‘I don’t do megaphone diplomacy. I prefer to go around the backdoor – the channels,’’ Peters said before the call with Pompeo.
‘‘We do things properly. And I’m not going to be persuaded, no matter what the media say, that I should do something that’s not required to be done that’s not in my country’s interests.’’ Peters said it was key to maintain good relationships with countries over the long term. ‘I want these other countries to receive us with hospitality and not resentment, not out of a sense of obligation.’’