Ardern gets special spot with Pence at dinner

Jacinda Ardern begins work in Singapore today to progress New Zealand’s interests in Southeast Asia which will include meetings with two top players at the East Asia Summit.

She is due to have a long talk with US Vice-President Mike Pence tonight as his dinner companion at the leaders’ gala dinner — at his request.

It will be her first substantial work, albeit in a social setting, with the Trump Administration since she became Prime Minister a year ago.

“It is a great opportunity for me to raise issues that New Zealand is focused on and interested in — of course aluminium and steel tariffs — but more generally issues of more concern within the region.”

Ardern said she was not expecting an invitation to the White House.

Before that, she is scheduled to meet Li Keqiang, the Premier of China, which comes at a time of uncertainty in New Zealand’s relations with China.

This evening she also meets for the first time new Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“Of course it’s not my first rodeo, but it will be his,” Ardern told the Herald. “I’ll be the old hand with one year under my belt.”

Most key events will be tonight between 8pm and midnight, NZ time.

One of the most important side meetings will be the leaders of nations in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (Recep), in the final stages of negotiation in Singapore over the past week.

Ardern will catch up there with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, which will determine how successful the deal is.

US President Donald Trump will not attend the East Summit nor the Apec summit in Papua New Guinea at the weekend.

He has been in Europe at events to mark 100 years since World War I, but Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was also at the centennial events, plans to be in Singapore.

Ardern won’t say she is disappointed Trump will not be there. But she made it clear she thought it would have been better if he had made it.

“I do think it is important to have representation at the highest level from all members of Apec and . . . the East Asia Summit.”

On her Morrison meeting, she said she did not expect any advance on the issue of asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru, which dominated talks with former PM Malcolm Turnbull at her first summits a year ago.

Ardern also has bilateral meetings confirmed with the leaders of Thailand, Japan and Malaysia.