New Zealand’s leader said Friday that his country will need to engage in “tough conversations” with China on areas where their views and national interests clash in order to maintain their bilateral relationship.
During his speech at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said relations with communist China are “the most complex” and will require “continued engagement.”
“It’s obvious New Zealand and China hold a number of different views. We don’t share a democratic tradition as we do with other partners like Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States,” Hipkins said.
“Our differing positions on human rights is an area of disagreement. And in global affairs, we have voiced concerns about China’s more assertive posture on a range of issues,” he added….