Fran O’Sullivan: From New Zealand to Beijing – Chris Hipkins makes his case for Xi Jinping

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When a reporter asked Chris Hipkins this week if he agreed with Joe Biden that Xi Jinping is a dictator, he took great care to avoid the curve balls thrown at him.

Hipkins was unequivocal: no, and
He said that what kind of political system China implements is a matter for the Chinese people.

Why anyone would think the Prime Minister’s endorsement of Biden’s label would derail his official visit to China is another matter. seriously.

But with less than a week to go before meeting Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Hipkins is focused on success, not disruption. Enough has happened in his own ranks this year, and the visit will provide, at least in that regard, a turning point in the prevailing political narrative.

Tomorrow he will leave New Zealand at the head of one of the largest official delegations in recent years.

It will be the first time a New Zealand prime minister has met a Chinese political leader in Beijing since April 2019.

It’s a test for a small country like New Zealand as the two elephants of global trade, China and the US, continue to jostle for dominance.

Jacinda Ardern’s whirlwind visit to Beijing in April 2019 was portrayed as a reset after a period of tension. The trade war between the two elephants is well underway. But there is no talk of this potentially escalating into all-out war.

During this time, we have experienced a global pandemic, supply chain disruptions, Russian invasion of Ukraine, international sanctions against Russia, European energy crisis, successful US industrial policy targeting Chinese business, tensions, and more. Taiwan and the world are grappling with global inflation.

These tensions are also affecting China, especially its economy, where youth unemployment is a concern.

The theme of Hipkins’ trip is reconnecting.

Not only will the prime minister hold high-level political meetings, but he will also be invited to the opening ceremony of Summer Davos in Tianjin, just a short walk from Beijing.

The session title of the World Economic Forum’s 2023 New Champions event is apt: Braving Headwinds: Reshaping Growth Amid Fragility.

In essence, it invited Hipkins and a panel that included World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission Director Zhang Yuzhuo to explore how new opportunities could be exploited Changes with models emphasizing global growth.

With the WTO in flux, this is an important conversation and it is good to have the Prime Minister of New Zealand on board.

At the bilateral meeting in the Great Hall of the People, the focus was really on deepening relations from a commercial perspective, international cooperation on climate change and trade, and some new takeaways.

Officials have been consulting with their counterparts in Beijing in preparation for meetings with Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

The talking points of the two sides have been fully rehearsed. Before the visit, Ambassador Wang Xiaolong said that the two countries should not interfere in each other’s internal affairs and conduct dialogue on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Speaking the truth to power on any human rights issue will await the face-to-face meeting itself.

From China’s perspective, it hopes New Zealand will support its entry into the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (Depa).

On the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers meeting held in Detroit not long ago, Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of China, said that China and the members of the Ministry of Commerce have carried out effective work and achieved positive progress.

New Zealand, Chile and Singapore signed the agreement.

With China’s application to join the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership), this issue will inevitably come up in discussions, at least at the ministerial level. Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor will chair the CPTPP ministerial meeting in Auckland in three weeks’ time.

A five-year roadmap for New Zealand and China to strengthen scientific and technological cooperation is likely to receive positive attention. Wang Zhigang, China’s minister of science and technology, agreed during a visit in May. Determining the next steps for FTA escalation will be important.

There were about 30 businessmen in the official delegation. Others will attend various events in China.

Highlights are expected to include a sustainability forum, where Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran is expected to outline some of the pioneering work the airline is doing to reduce emissions. The New Zealand Business Roundtable will also hold a business lunch briefing in China featuring Shanghai leaders of some of New Zealand’s leading companies in China, Zespri, Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms and Primary Collaboration (NZ) will also feature numerous Chinese media and influencers People are invited to visit New Zealand products.

The visit will boost New Zealand’s profile, and it will be worth it after a difficult few years battling business restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

– Fran O’Sullivan will visit China with the New Zealand delegation.