‘Constructive’ Meeting: Ardern Raises Concerns Over Human Rights, Taiwan With China’s Xi

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Nov. 18 to discuss regional issues and cooperation at Bangkok’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Ardern said the meeting, in which New Zealand raised concerns about human rights and tensions with Taiwan while expressing interest in a trade visit to China, was “constructive,” with a possible visit to Beijing to follow.

The bilateral meeting between the two leaders ran for close to 50 minutes, running longer than the scheduled 20 minutes. This meeting was the first face-to face meeting between the leaders since 2019.

A New Zealand government statement said that most of the meeting was about the strength of the bilateral connection and important areas of cooperation including trade, agriculture, climate change, and the environment, according to media reports.

The statement also said that “noting New Zealand’s interest in peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, the Prime Minister acknowledged China’s long standing relationships in the Pacific, but encouraged that, where issues or cooperation impacted the wider Pacific region, engagement with regional architecture such as the Pacific Islands Forum was key.”

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between New Zealand and China. According to China’s Foreign Affairs ministry, this anniversary provides an opportunity between the two countries to “enhance high-level exchanges and deepen cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, education and climate response.”

Ardern raised areas of concern to Xi on human rights issues in Xinjiang, military build up in the South China Sea, Beijing’s handling of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, and tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Recently, the United Nations Human Rights Office concluded (pdf) that members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim groups in Xinjiang face “arbitrary and discriminatory detention,” with “deprivation more generally of fundamental rights enjoyed individually and collectively” that “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.”

Meanwhile, China’s military this month flew 36 fighter jets and bombers across the median line in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s defence ministry said the provocation was part of a long-running campaign aimed to intimidate against the self-ruled island democracy that Beijing claims as part of its territory.

Although New Zealand is part of the Fives Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance between Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, it is often seen as a moderate member on when it comes to protesting issues regarding China.

However, after China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands earlier this year, New Zealand’s tone on both security and China’s increasing presence in the South Pacific has toughened.

North Korea fired off a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Nov. 18, which landed around 200 kilometres (130 miles) off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called an emergency meeting at APEC with leaders of South Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to condemn North Korea after the suspected launch.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters from the sidelines of the APEC forum that the missile was suspected of being an ICBM-class weapon and landed inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Japanese officials said the missile had the potential to reach the mainland of the United States.

“North Korea has repeatedly engaged in provocative actions at an unprecedented frequency, and I would like to reiterate strongly that these actions cannot be tolerated,” Kishida said.

The launch came a day after North Korea fired a short-range missile launch towards its eastern waters as a warning to the United States as it increases its security presence in the region with its allies; South Korea and Japan.

Japan Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile was likely to have been launched on a “lofted trajectory” for North Korea to test and add to its missile programme after it resumed testing ICBMs, reported Japan Times.

A lofted trajectory is when a projectile is launched at a much higher angle. If the North Korean missile had been launched on a standard non-lofted trajectory, based on calculations, the missile could have flown over 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles), depending on the weight of the warhead it was carrying, Hamada said. This would put the U.S. mainland within striking range.

Following Ardern’s meeting with Xi, Ardern told reporters, “We’re obviously at an inflection point in the region where you see today DPRK’s (North Korea’s) decision to launch another missile, one that is allegedly within the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) of Japan, is obviously another step up in escalation in the region.”

According to the New Zealand government’s statement, Ardern has encouraged China to use its influence and access to North Korea to help address the international security challenges posed by the missile testing and to help stop the war in Ukraine, but did not ask China to intervene with either country.

Ardern, however, has declined to comment on what Xi’s views are or what he had said during the meeting on the ballistic missile launched by North Korea.

“​​It’s in no-one’s interest for us to see a loss of peace and stability in the region, and I’d say that’s a shared view, that is where there is consensus,” Ardern added.

Xi delivered a speech at the APEC forum, saying that “the Asia-Pacific is no one’s backyard and should not be the area for a power contest,” and no attempt to wage a new Cold War would ever be allowed.