Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has given his first major foreign affairs speech in Australia. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has given his first major foreign affairs speech in Australia. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Prime Minister’s used his first major foreign affairs speech to warn of an international outlook which he says is “deteriorating more rapidly than at any time in our lifetimes”.
He’s also again addressed New Zealand’s complicated relationship with China, saying there are issues where the two countries “cannot and will not agree”.
Christopher Luxon addressed the prestigious Lowy Institute in Sydney this evening, ahead of a series of high-level meetings in Canberra tomorrow – including a bilateral with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Luxon was talking up New Zealand’s relationship with Australia ahead of that meeting in his speech tonight.
“Australia is New Zealand’s indispensable ally, partner and friend,” he said, adding Australia is more relevant to New Zealand than ever.
“And, dare I say, we are more relevant to you than ever.”
But for much of his speech, Luxon focused on geopolitical complexities – telling those in attendance it is smaller countries that are navigating “increasingly stormy seas”.
“Against this backdrop, we must be clear-eyed in recognising the risk of conflict in our wider region has risen.”
Although he didn’t elaborate on this point, China’s role in the Pacific region has come under the microscope in recent years.
Luxon said China remains New Zealand’s biggest trading partner and a country of undoubted influence, and a country he wants to work with to find solutions to challenges such as climate change.
“Equally clearly – and as I conveyed to Premier Li when he visited New Zealand – the difference in values and systems of government mean there are issues on which we cannot and will not agree,” he said.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at a joint press conference in Wellington in June. Photo / Mark Mitchell
He added that where the two countries do disagree, his Government will raise its concerns privately and when necessary, publicly in a consistent and predictable manner.
For example, Luxon pointed to the Government’s decision this year to publicly attribute a cyber-attack on Parliamentary computer networks to a Chinese Government backed entity.
Meanwhile, Luxon gave some indication as to when New Zealanders will find out the Government’s plans for new Defence Force aircraft.
In the past, he has said the plan for the breakdown-prone planes will be revealed in the up-coming Defence Capability Plan.
He revealed that plan will be unveiled “in the coming months”.
“This will mean replacing and upgrading capability and infrastructure which is reaching end of life, as well as investing in new capability.”
There has been speculation Luxon would use tonight’s speech to further elaborate on the Government’s plans to joint AUKUS Pillar II.
However, Luxon offered little more information than he had publicly said before.
“New Zealand is exploring with the AUKUS partners how we could potentially participate in Pillar II, including to understand what this means for our focus on ensuring interoperability.”
