China offers coordination with NZ for Pacific islands stability

Xi praises Ardern’s independent foreign policy

China is willing to coordinate closely with New Zealand to jointly promote peace, stability, development and prosperity in the Pacific island countries region, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday during his meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, while also praising Ardern’s repeated remarks on the country’s adherence to an independent foreign policy.

The Friday meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, was the first in-person bilateral meeting between Xi and Ardern since 2019.

Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and New Zealand, Xi said that during the past five decades, China-New Zealand relations have maintained a healthy and stable development.

During the meeting, Ardern said both countries should take the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity, sum up experience to further enhance high-level exchanges and deepen cooperation in trade, education, climate change and other fields.

On Friday, Xi also met with Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister James Marape.

The meeting between Xi and Ardern is important as it lays the foundation for the countries to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in the post-COVID-19 era, Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the research center for Pacific island countries of Liaocheng University, told the Global Times.

Further facilitating trade with China was a focus for Ardern’s meeting with Xi, as New Zealand is facing pressure from inflation and supply chain woes and the global economy has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical events, analysts said.

As a leader who insists on pragmatic policy, Ardern has attached importance to ties with China and to promoting bilateral trade, said Yu.

During their meeting, Xi also noted that pursuing peace and promoting development and cooperation have always been the starting point of China’s policy toward the Pacific island countries.

The US and its allies, especially Australia, have hyped “China threat,” as China and more Pacific island nations seek closer cooperation. As a member of the Five Eyes alliance led by the US, New Zealand is also facing increasing pressure from Washington as the US ramps up its efforts in pushing its IndoPacific strategy to pull more countries in to contain China, analysts said.

The US and some Western countries, including Australia, took Pacific island nations as their colonies in history and now see them as a sphere of influence – this is why China’s mutually beneficial cooperation with island nations unsettles them, Yu said, noting that it is the island nations’ choice to cooperate with China, and the US’ attempt to sow discord will not succeed.

Analysts said that unlike some US allies that have served as anti-China spearheads, New Zealand has acted with restraint and tried to stick to an independent foreign policy, which has also won it more space for diplomacy and defending its own interests.

Maintaining better relations will not only benefit New Zealand and China amid challenges, but also contribute to regional stability, analysts said.