dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

Originally Australia #15 >>13608366

Beijing praises Ardern in-between blasts at Morrison

WILL GLASGOW - MAY 7, 2021

Beijing has praised New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in between blasts at the “insane” Morrison government in a blunt attempt to wedge the close Tasman allies.

After President Xi Jinping’s administration formally suspended a high-level trade dialogue with Australia, China’s foreign ministry portrayed New Zealand as the diplomatic model Australia should follow.

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin praised a speech Ms Ardern gave on China this week in between rants about Australia’s misbehaviour.

“The 49-year-long journey since establishment of diplomatic ties proves that as long as we show each other mutual respect, seek common ground and shelve differences, treat one another as equals and pursue win-win co-operation, we should be able to and can achieve sound progress in bilateral relations,” he said at Thursday night’s foreign ministry press conference in Beijing.

Mr Wang overlooked the key message of Ms Ardern’s speech, which frankly acknowledged the growing list of issues upon New Zealand and China “do not, cannot, and will not agree”.

Mr Wang also did not mention the motion the New Zealand parliament passed this week — with Ms Ardern’s clear support — that unanimously declared that “severe human rights abuses” were occurring in Xinjiang.

Since Australia’s relationship with China imploded a year ago, Beijing has presented New Zealand as an example of a well-behaving wealthy country.

China’s state-controlled media gleefully reported comments by New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta last month that Wellington was uneasy about the increased usage of the Five Eyes intelligence grouping as a vehicle for making statements critical of Beijing. Ms Ardern quickly clarified New Zealand’s commitment to the intelligence grouping with Australia, the US, Britain and Canada.

In a speech in Auckland on Monday in front of a business crowd, Ms Ardern spoke directly about the increasing difficulties in New Zealand’s relationship with the Xi administration.

“It will not have escaped the attention of anyone here that as China’s role in the world grows and changes, the differences between our systems — and the interests and values that shape those systems — are becoming harder to reconcile,” she told the China Business Summit.

“Managing the relationship is not always going to be easy and there can be no guarantees.”

David Capie, director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at Wellington’s Victoria University, said the “key takeaway” from the speech was a clear message to New Zealand’s business community.

“Look across the Tasman. As you think about going into business in China, you need to be aware of the risks as well as the opportunities,” he told The Weekend Australian.

Beijing has praised New Zealand as a model partner as sanctions have been whacked on more than $20bn of Australian exports and China’s media and foreign ministry have thundered about Canberra.

That may have limited Beijing’s criticism this week of the forthright language Ms Ardern used on China and the motion in Wellington condemning the treatment of Uighur people in Xinjiang.

“To present New Zealand as the right kind of partner and then turn around and flay it publicly and put it in the freezer is a little hard to reconcile,” Mr Capie said.

Meanwhile, the anger at the Morrison government continued as Beijing justified its tit-for-tat scuttling of a high-level economic and trade dialogue after Canberra tore up Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement.

“We urge the Australian side to cast aside the Cold-War mentality and ideological bias, view China’s development and China-Australia co-operation in a truly objective light, return to the rational track without further delay and correct its mistakes,” Mr Wang said.

“It should stop the insane suppression targeting China-Australia co-operation, stop politicising and stigmatising normal exchange and stop going further down the wrong path.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/beijing-praises-ardern-inbetween-blasts-at-morrison/news-story/ec2d51d339502de788e9036a653c5119