Death and taxes - at what price?
What is New Zealand prepared to give up for fewer trade restrictions into China? A life, or 60?
The price of boosting our economy, could well come with a high moral cost.
Prime Minister John Key has come away with little off the back of a week-long trade trip to China, but he gained more than expected.
It begs the question of what exactly it is New Zealand is about to offer in return.
Expectations were heavily downplayed over the likelihood of gaining an agreement from China to upgrade our eight-year-old free trade agreement on this trip.
And certainly, the prospect of Key pulling one out of the bag looked lesser still, after he met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on his first day.
Key faced some tough questions on that, the next day. As part of the press pack travelling with him, the moment he decided to change the script was clear.
Li Keqiang barely gave an inch, but it’s with President Xi Jinping that Key is closer.
Talking between meetings, Key - in his casual way - dropped that New Zealand had changed its position on considering an extradition treaty with China.
We’d gone from assessing on a case-by-case basis the possibility of sending wanted Chinese fugitives back to a country that uses the death penalty, to considering establishing a formal process.
And then, Key came away from the trip with an assurance to progress talks, that if those talks lead to formal negotiations dairy would be on the table, and a lucrative deal on exporting chilled meat only months away from being finalised.
The same criteria on extraditions would still apply of course; China would have to give rock solid assurances New Zealand wouldn’t be sending anyone back to face torture or be killed.
In fairness, countries like Australia have sent economic fugitives back under the same criteria, and China has honoured its agreement.
But really, we’d neve know if we’d sent someone back to die. They’d just disappear.
Key and accompanying ministers have not minced words about how tough the dairy industry would be doing it if safeguards around export quotas were left to drop off naturally by 2024.
All China has openly asked for in return is extended visa periods and a more streamlined Overseas Investment Office Process.
That doesn’t really seem a fair trade.
So extradition and the FTA might be separate items on the agenda, but they follow in a logical order.
And where we can’t budge on our position in the South China Sea, an extradition treaty we can provide without slighting the United States.
Because of course, that was the other indirect ask (through a terse and public warning in Chinese state media); pull away from the United States and side with us. No chance. So think inward New Zealand. Trade is critical to the running of the economy, but we pride ourselves highly on human rights issues.
What’s your price?