Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has met with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific economic (Apec) summit in Peru today.
Video / NZ Herald
Christopher Luxon is in Peru for Apec, attending the summit for the first time.
Ahead of the conference, Luxon said he was looking forward to the bilateral meeting where new areas of collaboration will be discussed.
But the Prime Minister has also warned he is not afraid to broach more controversial topics, such as China’s role in foreign interference.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has met with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific economic (Apec) summit in Peru today.
It is Luxon’s first Apec as prime minister having missed last year’s event when coalition negotiations dragged on.
Luxon has spoken to media and faced questions about his meeting with President Xi - and the Act Party’s Treaty Principles Bill - or, more precisely, what unfolded in Parliament as the votes were taken at the first reading.
Luxon flew out to Peru for the Apec meeting ahead of the first reading of the Bill and has yet to respond to the haka led by Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke that led to the suspension of Parliament on Thursday.
Video of Maipi-Clarke starting the haka, and tearing a copy of the bill in half, has gone viral.
The BBC, New York Times, the Daily Mail and CNN are among hundreds of international news outlets to report on the moment. It’s had millions, if not tens of millions, of views around the world.
Luxon said today had been a “full-on day” and a “successful day”.
He said his time with President Xi was “constructive and positive” and included areas of future, ongoing cooperation.
Luxon said he had been invited to travel to China in the first half of 2025.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with China's President Xi Jinping at the APEC Summit in Peru today. Photo / Pool
He said there was cooperation but the relationship allowed space to raise their difference, including on the South China Sea and human rights issues.
While Luxon said the relationship allowed space for those conversations, the difficult issues were not those which dominated the meeting.
Luxon said it was expected by China and the New Zealand public expected him to raise those issues.
Apec was focused on economic and trade issues, Luxon said, and that he had “advocated really strongly” at the leaders’ forum for the benefit of the rules-based system.
The Prime Minister has been drawn back to the points of difference and particularly military moves in the Pacific, particularly the firing of a missile by China.
Luxon said it was an issue he had also spoken about the Pacific leaders. This was the test launch by China of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the Pacific Ocean in September - the first time in 44 years that China had fired a missile into the area.
Reporters quizzed Luxon about who he was speaking about with his references to the benefits of a rules-based order. Unsurprisingly, he hasn’t nominated any country by name.
“It doesn’t matter which country you are, you deserve fair treatment.”
He said he wasn’t speaking about any specific country but globally.
Moving to domestic issues, Luxon said - as he has before - that National doesn’t support the Treaty Principles Bill, again referring to it as “simplistic”.
Luxon said the Treaty Principles Bill doesn’t do anything to restore the economy or build better public services. He said it was a “divisive” issue.
On the haka led by Te Pati Maori MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, he said “irrespective of how emotional and difficult an issue might be”, the public expected MPs to observe the decorum required in Parliament.
Luxon was hoping to catch up with US President Joe Biden and thank him for his 50 years of public service.
Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier “commended” the efforts of the New Zealand Government in its ongoing work to support the growth of the two countries’ relationship.
President Xi met Luxon on the sidelines of Apec this morning, in what was their first face-to-face meeting.
Flanked by a dozen officials, Xi spoke of the importance of continuing efforts to keep a strong relationship.
“Over the past decade, China/New Zealand relations have maintained a momentum of sound and steady growth which has greatly improved the wellbeing of our two peoples and should be all the more cherished,” he said, through a translator, ahead of their bilateral.
“Mr Prime Minister, China is ready to work with your Government to create more firsts for our relationship.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Luxon responded in kind, saying New Zealand places “great significance” on its relationship with China.
“It is a longstanding and important one and the links between our people, our businesspeople as well as our students and migrants has been a longstanding and successful one.
“I look forward to us continuing to build on our partnership and our friendship as a result.”
Ahead of the meeting, Luxon said it would be “very formal”, reflecting the fact New Zealand and China have a strong, enduting relationship that spans more than 50 years.
“We still see huge opportunities for us to collaborate in the areas of trade particularly around our primary industries but also around tourism or education, and other areas around renewables and climate change.”
However, he said he would not shy away from some of the more difficult topics: “We will talk about the regional interests that we have and some areas of concern. That includes the Taiwan Strait and North Korea.”
Luxon said issues around China’s involvement in global conflicts will also be raised — “particularly with what we’re seeing in regards to Russia, North Korea and Ukraine coming together in the way they have”.
Ahead of that meeting - in pre-prepared remarks - Xi said since taking office, Luxon and his ministers have supported continued co-operation between New Zealand and China.
“I commend your efforts,” he said, before telling Luxon and his officials he was looking forward to more new firsts.
“We will strive for continued growth of the China/New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership and make more contributions to peace, stability, development and prosperity to our region and the world at large.”
Luxon spoke of the importance of the two countries’ two-way trade.
