Biden brings US ties closer to NZ
New US President Joe Biden moved the most powerful country in the world closer to New Zealand’s position on climate change in the immediate hours after taking office, and will likely do the same on other issues in the coming months.
Soon after his inauguration, Biden issued an executive order that will see the US rejoin the Paris climate agreement, an international effort aimed at limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius.
He has taken the helm of a country that emits more greenhouse gases than any other – save for China – and with wins in Georgia earlier this month, his party, the Democrats, has full control of the US Government. Biden also signalled moves to end the Keystone Pipeline XL, a planned expansion of a huge oil pipeline across North America.
The transfer of power went off without a hitch, after weeks of drama sparked by the refusal of Biden’s predecessor to concede the election, which eventually led Donald Trump’s supporters to storm the US Capitol earlier this month.
A period in which the US and New Zealand had starkly different positions on many issues – particularly climate change and free trade – has now ended.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern alluded to those differences as she spoke to media yesterday, saying it was
easier to work with foreign leaders ‘‘when you have a few more shared values.’’
‘‘The world is facing huge challenges, not least Covid-19, but also the challenge to our collective environment. All of which we are seeing early signs that are really encouraging from the US around the role they wish to play,’’ Ardern said.
Climate Change Minister James Shaw was also pleased, tweeting a ‘‘welcome back’’ to the US – but cautioning it was only a ‘‘first step’’.
Ardern and Trump’s relationship never sank into open hostility, as it did with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but it was never particularly warm.
Early in her prime ministership a story leaked out of Trump confusing Ardern for Trudeau’s wife and the manner of her ascension to power, to which she retorted: ‘‘No-one marched when I was elected.’’
Ardern also pointedly disagreed with Trump’s assessment that white nationalism was not a large problem soon after the March 15 terror attack and took issue with his characterisation of the Covid-19 cluster in August. ‘‘The history books will tell us it has been tumultuous,’’ Ardern said of the Trump presidency. ‘‘I really hope that on behalf of the globe, we see a more settled period.’’
National MP Gerry Brownlee said the US would be looking to retake an international leadership role on many issues such as climate change – but he cautioned Kiwis not to assume it would be a continuation of the Obama presidency. ‘‘We have to be careful not to characterise Biden as Obama 2.’’
Brownlee said Covid-19 would be likely to dominate the international scene for many months to come.
Biden has immediately made several moves to fight Covid-19 more forcefully, with more tests and mask requirements on federal property – but he is not pushing for the kind of national lockdown that New Zealand implemented to stop the virus.
Brownlee suspected the US under Biden would seek to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership on Trade (CPTPP), a trade pact which rose from the ashes of the Trans-Pacific Partnership after Trump pulled the US out.
‘‘The US coming in now would not be able to dictate terms around pharmaceuticals and other issues,’’ Brownlee said.