Ardern may meet China’s Xi at talks

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has not ruled out a one-on-one meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the upcoming Apec summit.

She leaves for Southeast Asia this morning, travelling to Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand for the East Asia Summit, a trade mission, and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders’ meeting.

Alongside the two regional forums, leaders of the world’s most powerful economies, the G20, will be meeting in Bali, Indonesia. US President Joe Biden and Xi would meet one-on-one in Cambodia next week in advance of this meeting.

Ardern said she was ‘‘absolutely not’’ seeking a meeting with Biden, who she met at the White House in May. But asked if she was seeking a meeting with Xi, she said, ‘‘we’ll confirm bilaterals closer to the time’’.

Ardern and Xi last spoke directly in 2021, before an Apec leaders meeting hosted by New Zealand, virtually. If a meeting were to take place in Thailand, Ardern said she would be ‘‘utterly consistent’’.

‘‘My messages will frankly be the same now as they were then [in 2021], they’re reflecting on the areas of strength and where we co-operate well, and of course often those are in the trade space. Increasingly, we’re seeking to work together in the climate and biodiversity space.

‘‘And then there are areas of difference on issues like human rights, our position on the Uyghur people, and of course, you know, what we see as ongoing strategic competition in our region.’’

Ardern said she would be prioritising meetings with new leaders she had not yet met, a list that included Philippines Ferdinand ‘‘Bongbong’’ Marcos Jr, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob and Chilean President Gabriel Boric,

The week of summits marks a return to in-person regional meetings for leaders, and a return to the forums where Ardern made her first appearance on the international stage as prime minister in 2017.

The world has significantly changed in the years since, and faultlines have opened further as countries emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic – including within the Asia-Pacific.

‘‘Regional tensions undoubtedly have increased,’’ Ardern said.

China has bullied Taiwan this year with military drills and escalated fears that deepening tension with the US could spill over. North Korea has in recent weeks sent missiles over Japan and near South Korean territory.

Southeast Asian nations continue to grapple with a crisis in Myanmar, where a military junta deposed an elected government and jailed its leader, Nobel Peace Prizewinning Aung San Suu Kyi.

‘‘I used to sit with Aung San Suu Kyi a lot. The seating plan used to have me positioned next to her; I’m now the only woman at the East Asia Summit. So that weighs on my mind,’’ Ardern said.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February, hiking oil prices and sparking a food crisis that has countries turning to protectionist trade policies – a concern to New Zealand and its food producing export economy.

Ardern wouldn’t ‘‘name names’’ but said some leaders were calling ‘‘either walking away from existing trade arrangements, or seeking not to engage in future trade dialogue’’.

‘‘We want the world to have access to affordable, nutritious, high quality and trustworthy food sources. Our view is that free trade enables us to do that.’’

It remained uncertain whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would attend any of the three summits in the coming week. Ardern said, regardless, she would not engage with any Russian representatives.

‘‘However, can you prevent passing someone in a hallway or seeing someone in a meeting room? No.

‘‘If the opportunity ever arose, where I were face-to-face with anyone in the Russian leadership, I would say exactly privately what I say publicly: ‘the war is illegal and must end, for the good of all of us’.’’

Ardern said Russia being at the table was one of the reasons it may be more difficult to reach consensus at both the East Asia Summit and Apec.

Ardern said some leaders were calling ‘‘either walking away from existing trade arrangements, or seeking not to engage in future trade dialogue’’.