The PM on China and US relations, and how there needs to be a dialogue between the two parties before any other action is taken. Video / NZ Herald
Foreign Nanaia Mahuta has met her Chinese counterpart in person for the first time as geopolitical tensions ramp up with the United States over Taiwan.
Mahuta also confirmed she would visit China when conditions allowed.
Mahuta met with China's Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi on the sidelines of Asean and the East Asia Summit this week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Asean is the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations.
It was their first meeting in person, after virtual engagements - most recently in June.
It comes as tensions between China and the United States rise after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which has enraged Beijing and Chinese nationalists.
China is already displaying new shows of force in the Taiwan Strait, including live-fire military exercises planned for this week and a steady uptick in flights of fighter jets in and near Taiwan's self-declared air defence zone.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and China State Councillor Wang Yi meeting in person for the first time at Asean in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo / Supplied
A press statement of the meeting said Mahuta restated "Aotearoa New Zealand's interest in peace and stability in the region ... Including across the Taiwan Strait, and emphasised the importance of de-escalation, diplomacy and dialogue."
Mahuta also reportedly urged China to be clear, in line with its commitment to the UN Charter, that it "does not support Russia's unlawful aggression against Ukraine", and encouraged China to use its access and influence with Russia to promote a return to diplomacy.
The meeting also acknowledged this year marking 50 years of diplomatic relations, and areas of co-operation including trade, agriculture, climate change and the environment.
Both Mahuta and Wang committed to visiting the other's country when Covid-19 conditions allowed.
The statement said Mahuta also noted "New Zealand's deep concerns regarding the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong".
Mahuta also reiterated New Zealand's independent foreign policy and issues in the Pacific, which have been the focus of further geopolitical tensions.
Earlier this year the Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China, raising questions about Pacific unity on regional issues and sparking concerns of a potential military base being established.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta (fifth from left) at the Asean-New Zealand ministerial meeting in Cambodia this week. Photo / Supplied
Wang then embarked on a tour seeking to drum up support for a regional agreement, canvassing security and economic issues, which was ultimately rejected by Pacific nations.
At the Pacific Islands Forum last month in Fiji, the United States asserted its own presence, announcing a raft of new diplomatic measures to restore and build relations in the region.
Mahuta said she emphasised to Wang the "importance of the Pacific Islands Forum, and Pacific-led responses to Pacific priorities, including in the field of security".
Mahuta also discussed Asean members' efforts to help return Myanmar to peace and democracy.
She reportedly "expressed concern" at the record number of ballistic missile tests conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea this year in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, as well as over developments in the South China Sea.
