New Zealand Prime Minister to Meet Xi Jinping Next Week... Did Warnings from Former Leaders Have an Impact?

Summit with Xi Jinping to Be Held in China Next Week
Former New Zealand Prime Ministers Issue Public Letter of Warning
"New Zealand Must Not Appear as a Hostile Nation to China"

Christopher Luxon New Zealand Prime Minister. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, will pay an official visit to China next week and hold a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Guardian reported on June 12 (local time).

According to the New Zealand Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Luxon is scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to discuss key bilateral issues such as trade, as well as the overall bilateral relationship and major regional and international matters.

The Guardian noted that this meeting comes just one week after former New Zealand prime ministers issued an open letter containing a warning message that "New Zealand must not appear as a hostile nation to China."

In the open letter, former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and Geoffrey Palmer, among others, urged that "New Zealand must make it clear at the highest level that it still maintains a bipartisan approach to its strategic partnership with China."

The letter particularly pointed out that recent government statements have given the impression that New Zealand is being positioned as a hostile nation to China alongside the United States. They stated, "We believe that New Zealand's participation in defense agreements such as the second phase of AUKUS, which explicitly target China, could be highly disadvantageous," and added, "If New Zealand's military relationship with the United States is aimed at China, it will entail significant risks for New Zealand."

However, Winston Peters, New Zealand's Foreign Minister, countered these views, saying, "Comments from some former politicians and officials who cling to outdated debates are meaningless."

Meanwhile, this visit marks Prime Minister Luxon's first trip to China since he was elected in October 2023. After completing his schedule in China, he is expected to head to Europe.