Ardern targets Pacific priorities on eve of leaders' summit
Friday, 8 July 2022
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says priorities must be set by regional governments ahead of next week’s regional leaders summit and warned against pigeonholing China over its tug-of-war with the West in the Pacific.
Her comments come after a “world trade tour” of the United States, Europe and Australia.
Delivering a speech on New Zealand foreign policy at the political think-tank Lowy Institute in Sydney on Thursday, Ardern called for co-operation among 'those for whom the region really is home'.
New Zealand is a part of the Pacific whānau, and we have a history of meeting one another's needs, she said. “We have seen this recently through the regional deployment of personnel to Honiara … the model exists, we need to use it.”
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The prime minister also highlighted the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Summit in Fiji and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent she said members have been working on.
Beijing is expected to top the agenda, among ongoing issues such as climate change, Covid-19 and conflict, when the forum meeting gets under way on Monday. Representatives from 18 forum member states and 21 international partners will gather in Suva from July 11-14 – in-person for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit the region.
Ardern said it would be wrong to characterise China's investment and engagement in the Pacific as new. But she warned that while diplomacy must be the primary tool for dealing with rising Indo-Pacific tensions, “the region itself must lead its own development”.
'Priorities should be set by the Pacific, they should be free from coercion, investment should be of high quality,' she said.
'Issues that affect the security of all of us or may be seen as the militarisation of the region should come through the PIF as set out in the Biketawa and Boe declaration, as such a change would rightly affect and concern many.'
Ardern said trade and economy would 'truly build resilience', and New Zealand was 'breaking new ground' with its trade partnerships and a focus on climate and digital economies.
Fronting up to journalists after her speech, Ardern said despite the structural failings built into the United Nations Security Council, New Zealand would not abandon multilateralism.
'We will seek the reform to ultimately ensure that we don't see a weakening or a lessening of the value or relevance of those multilateral institutions. That's still very important to New Zealand, but we will seek to respond in the meantime.”
Ardern said it was Singapore Prime Minister Lee who first highlighted the importance of not labelling the Ukraine war as a conflict of democracy versus theocracy.
'Let's not assume that China, as a member of the security council, does not have a role to play in placing pressure and response to what is a loss of territorial integrity at the hands of Russia. Let's not just isolate them and assume that it's only democracies that take this view.'
Ardern said China's role on the UN Security Council meant it had more power. But that came with responsibility.
'As a nation that has benefited from the rules-based order … there is a responsibility there. Obviously they'll make their own decisions, but that doesn't stop New Zealand sharing its view. We believe that there's more that can be done, and we'll continue to voice that concern.'
China’s growing influence in the Pacific has raised eyebrows in the West. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently completed a 10-nation island-hopping tour with security and trade deals in tow. But he was only successful in securing a security agreement with the Solomon Islands.
Wang has denied claims his government is exploiting the Pacific. Australia and the United States warn any Chinese military presence in the Pacific is a threat to them.
Ardern warned against pigeonholing China as a non-democratic nation.
'If we treat some of the geostrategic issues that we have in our region in an overly simplistic way then we lose the opportunity to engage, and we risk further isolating some of those individuals that may be involved in some of that escalation,' Ardern said.
'You will have seen some who have referenced the relationship that exists between China and Russia, you've also however seen China articulate their concern over the challenge to territorial integrity – and referenced the UN charter – as the flaw to their relationship.
'So we've sought to highlight that – if that's China's position then it's our view they should join with the international community in calling out Russia in its war in Ukraine.'
Ardern arrived home on Friday and heads to the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in Suva on Monday.