Foreign Minister meets Chinese counterpart
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Foreign Minister Winston Petersyesterday afternoon in Wellington, with Wang stopping in the city on his tour of Australia and New Zealand.
In his opening remarks to Wang, Peters said the day was a “valuable opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that are now before us”.
“We appreciate the opportunity to co-operate with China bilaterally, and to work together on regional and international issues of importance to both of our countries.
“We are looking forward to reconnecting with you and to our discussions today across the breadth of our bilateral relationship,” he said.
Wang’s last visit was in 2017, and he also visited in 2014. He met with Peters yesterday afternoon and was to enjoy a courtesy call with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon later.
The Global Times, a Chinese propaganda tabloid, said the visit was of significance given the noises made by the coalition parties about linking up with with the non-nuclear pillar 2 of the Aukus nuclear submarine pact.
The paper quoted Yu Lei, professor at Shandong University, saying New Zealand was at risk of “coercion from Washington and its allies”.
Yu warned New Zealand’s domestic politics and political parties have significant ties with the US and Australia, making them susceptible to influence. The paper noted the New Zealand Government had increasingly signed on to US-led condemnations of events in Xinjiang and Hong Kong as well as the “Taiwan question” and “South China Sea disputes”.