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Australian and New Zealand prime ministers met Tuesday to talk about China’s importance to their national economies, resolving to voice their disagreements with their most important trading partner that is becoming more assertive in their region.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins made Australia the destination of his first overseas trip as his government’s leader since his predecessor Jacinda Ardern announced her surprise resignation in January.
The visit to Australia’s Parliament House comes two weeks after Hipkins assumed office on Jan. 25. He used a joint press conference with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese to give an assurance that he was keeping New Zealand’s foreign policy direction.
“Our foreign policy position hasn’t changed just because there’s a change of prime minister,” Hipkins said. “The government foreign policy is the same as it was under Prime Minister Ardern.”
A reporter put to Hipkins that Ardern had been reluctant to stand up against “bad behavior by China” and asked if he was concerned about Chinese coercion in the South Pacific.
