NZ must stand with Taiwan

Ageopolitical crisis is coming to the boil, and it could have significant economic, diplomatic and even military implications for New Zealand. As widely telegraphed, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has arrived in Taiwan against a backdrop of shrill warnings from China and more muted ones from the Pentagon. She was due to give a televised speech at the legislature in Taipei, meet President Tsai Ing-wen, hold a news conference, and then meet democracy advocates before leaving last night.

This is a standard kind of itinerary in any other country, but in Taiwan – which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) considers a breakaway province that should be reunited with the ‘‘motherland’’, despite the fact Taiwan has never been part of the People’s Republic of China – could spark a military conflict, by miscalculation, if not by design.

Beijing has already started responding. It has suspended imports of Taiwanese biscuits and pastries, and a cyber attack appears to be under way. It has brought forward military exercises. In Xiamen, the closest part of the Chinese mainland to Taiwan, tanks have been rolling along the beaches – while children continue to play in the water.

The visit comes after US President Joe Biden was unequivocal about defending Taiwan, sparking concern in Beijing about changes in the US’ ‘‘One China’’ policy.

This is where we come in. Since 1972, New Zealand has recognised Beijing’s One China policy – the CCP’s requirement for having diplomatic relations with the world’s second-largest economy.

This is often misconstrued as meaning countries like New Zealand, Australia, the UK and US recognise that Taiwan is part of China. This is not correct. It means only that we recognise that China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory. It’s a threading of a diplomatic needle that has allowed countries like ours to have diplomatic and economic relations with China, while also having strong if unofficial relations with Taiwan.

But it’s a needle that’s becoming increasingly difficult to thread as China under Xi Jinping has laid bare its true aims. It has stripped Hong Kong of almost all its democratic freedoms; it has committed cultural genocide in Xinjiang; has militarised islands across the South China Sea with impunity; and is now seeking to extend its reach into the South Pacific.

There is now almost no freedom of speech or assembly or religion in China. That’s one of the key reasons I chose to leave. Taiwan, on the other hand, is a pluralist democracy with a robust opposition and a dynamic civil society.

Jacinda Ardern’s Government is increasingly recognising the threat of the CCP. The prime minister is still careful to try to accentuate the positive – there are still plenty of areas where China and New Zealand can co-operate even ‘‘as China becomes more assertive in the pursuit of its interests’’, she said at a China business forum this week, the flag of Communist China on the screen behind her. But as push comes to shove, we will have to balance our economic interests with our democratic values. Taiwanese people, like Ukrainians, are fighting for us and our values; for democracy in the face of authoritarianism.

With Russia, it’s been relatively easy to stand up for our values. Russia is 27th in a list of our trading partners. China is No 1. But we should have no qualms about where our values lie. In the past two weeks, European, Japanese and Australian delegations have visited Taiwan. A UK parliamentary mission is planned. Where are we? Ardern has sidestepped questions about Taiwan. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta hasn’t uttered a peep since the tensions brought about by the Pelosi visit. We do not exist only as a trading nation. Our standing on the global stage is connected to our commitment to multilateralism, human rights and democracy. We must stand up, loud and clear, for that.