New Zealand PM hails 'constructive' role for China in Ukraine

New Zealand PM hails 'constructive' role for China in Ukraine
by AFP Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) June 27, 2023

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said China could play a "constructive role" in the Ukraine conflict during a meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday.

Hipkins is on a state visit to China aimed at boosting trade ties with the world's second-largest economy.

Almost a quarter of New Zealand's export earnings come from China, making it one of the Western nations most dependent on ties with Beijing.

That close relationship, coupled with aggressive Chinese efforts to develop influence in New Zealand, has long worried Wellington's allies.

Hipkins spoke with Xi on Tuesday about "areas of direct bilateral cooperation like trade, education, science and innovation, agriculture and tourism", according to remarks published by the prime minister's office.

He also spoke about "the constructive role China can play in addressing shared global challenges such as climate change and the war in Ukraine", according to the statement.

Beijing says it is a neutral party in the war but has been criticised by Western countries for refusing to condemn Moscow and for its ties with Russia.

But New Zealand has in the past been notably less critical of China's government.

"We will always advocate for approaches and outcomes that reflect New Zealand's independent foreign policy or interests and values, in a respectful but consistent way," Hipkins said in Tuesday's statement.

Xi told Hipkins that bilateral relations had "continued to develop in a healthy and stable manner, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples", according to a readout published by state broadcaster CCTV.

The two sides should work together to "promote the steady and long-term development of the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership", Xi said.

With New Zealand's economy slowing and an election planned for October, Hipkins is under pressure to boost growth.

Hipkins attended an event on Tuesday where New Zealand exporters signed deals to promote dairy and meat products in China, according to the statement.

Netanyahu says invited to China, with US-Israel ties tense
Jerusalem (AFP) June 27, 2023 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he had been invited to China and his office had informed close ally the United States about the planned trip to Beijing.

The announcement comes during tense ties between Israel and the US, whose President Joe Biden failed to invite Netanyahu for a visit after the Israeli's reelection in November.

"The projected visit will be Prime Minister Netanyahu's fourth visit to China," Netanyahu's office said in a statement, noting "the American administration was updated one month ago."

It said the premier had also informed a bipartisan Congressional delegation about the trip, and told the Congress members that the "US will always be Israel's most vital and irreplaceable ally."

A spokesman for Netanyahu when contacted by AFP could not provide further details on the planned trip or when it was expected to happen.

Tensions have arisen over the Biden administration's consistent calling for a two-state solution with the Palestinians, and also criticising settlement expansion under Netanyahu.

He returned to power in December in a coalition between his Likud party and extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies, including hardline settlers.

Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations have been stalled since 2014.

Biden has also called on Netanyahu to reach a compromise on his controversial legal reforms, denounced by critics as a threat to democracy, and which the government has vowed to advance after mediation efforts collapsed.

China has been on a diplomatic offensive in the Middle East, brokering the restoration of ties in March between Iran and Saudi Arabia -- rivals in a region where Washington for decades has been the main diplomatic powerbroker.

Earlier this month, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas visited China, and in April China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang held telephone talks with top Israeli and Palestinian diplomats, telling them that Beijing was ready to help facilitate peace talks.

Washington's top diplomat Antony Blinken last week made a rare visit to Beijing, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping said he saw headway in the strained relationship with the United States.