Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited London on Friday to meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, look back on the OE working for former Prime Minister Tony Blair and talk about the strong ties between Britain and New Zealand.
She also talked about the common love between the two countries for British game shows. Tracking..
However, the visit got a little darker, and Ardern used a major foreign policy speech to warn of “increasing anxiety” in the Pacific Ocean.
She first stopped at 10 Downing Street to sign a new visa agreement with Johnson. The agreement expands the working vacationer system, which allows New Zealanders and British citizens under the age of 30 to live and work in each other’s countries for two years.
Under the conditions of the new system, the age limit has been raised to 35 years and the visa validity period has been extended from 2 years to 3 years. The new rules will start by 2024.
“The UK is one of New Zealand’s oldest, closest friends and partners in Aotearoa,” said Ardern, and the visa change “reflects the depth of NZ-UK relations.”
Ardern had lunch in Downing Street with Johnson. Later, London’s Maori cultural group Ngāti Rānana performed at Downing Street Gardens.
For Johnson, the visit was overshadowed by yet another domestic political crisis. Johnson has been out of the country for a week and is faced with constant questions about his leadership. On the final day, his deputy leader resigned after admitting he was “confused.” [himself] After he “drinks too much”, “and others”-he is said to have groped for two men.
When Johnson escorted Ardern to Downing Street, British media could hear him asking if he was “drown.”
Prior to the meeting, Johnson said he welcomed Ardern, who visited Britain for the first time since the Covid 19 pandemic.
“I would like to express my gratitude and praise to New Zealand, especially for the very strong route to Ukraine.”
Ardern noted the fact that part of New Zealand’s response to Ukraine was that the British-based New Zealand army trained Ukrainian soldiers to use artillery.
She returned to the OE theme in a speech in the afternoon to the famous British policymaker Chatham House.
“I was one of the many New Zealanders who worked in the UK for several years as part of what we commonly call” OE “,” Ardern said, and her job before coming to London was then Prime Minister Helen. Said it was. Clark is currently the president of Chatham House.
Ardern said her job in the UK was initially under Tony Blair and later under Gordon Brown at the Cabinet Office, but was the “highest point” of her career in the family. I made a joke.
“At least you’ll tell me that a bunch of text messages from my cousins and aunts last week came up with the question,’The world leader worked for Tony Blair.’ Tracking“Ardern said.
However, the speech went dark, warning that New Zealand’s Pacific region is facing “increasing anxiety.”
“The order that has brought about the prosperity of the region over the last 80 years is at stake,” Ardern said.
She warned that “the rule of law is being challenged in the South China Sea, where construction of artificial islands is seen,” and “China, our largest trading partner in the region, is becoming more and more aggressive. I warned.
Ardern cautiously states that China’s presence in the Pacific is “not new,” and “calling for China’s mere presence when welcoming involvement from other countries in Pacific conditions” is “wrong.” Said. united states of america.
But she said the challenge was the “nature” of any involvement, whether it was a Pacific or Chinese condition.
This is not the first time Ardern has warned of growing anxiety in the Pacific while in Europe. She made a similar statement at the NATO summit in Madrid this week, saying Wellington’s Chinese embassy was “wrong” and “sorry.”
However, the Prime Minister said New Zealand was “very independent” and cautioned that it did not sound like it had fallen into a US-led anti-Chinese camp.
“We actively seek relationships with people who share our values, but we never lose sight of the importance of dialogue with those who do not.”
The speech was a plea to a more interrelated world, acknowledging that there were powerful institutions like the United Nations and that countries were dependent on each other. She said countries need to “pull in the same direction, on our own terms.”
Each generation of New Zealanders learned that they were interdependent with other parts of the world, she said.
From the 1981 Springbok tour to the non-nuclear movement, the rainbow warrior bombing, and the hole in the ozone layer, New Zealanders have had the formal experience of learning how the world is interrelated.
She said that pandemics and wars in Ukraine could be interconnected by the world, and how important it is to have a functioning body such as the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the United Nations. Was shown again.
Mr. Ardan said he “welcome” interest in UK trade and foreign policy in the Pacific region, from the application for accession to the CPTPP trade agreement to the broader policy “” tilt “to the Indo-Pacific.” ..
“Of course, you will not leave the Indo-Pacific, but your deliberate efforts to increase your presence across the diplomatic, defense, development and trade areas are welcomed.”
However, she issued some warnings to “Western” countries caused by the fact that interest in the region was contested by China.
The warning was that engagement with Pacific countries must comply with their conditions: their own conditions and priorities.
Ardern has repeatedly called on Pacific countries to engage in important regional priorities, such as climate change, rather than talking to them.
She concludes her European tour in London tomorrow. She has a private meeting with Prince William and she attends the London Pride Parade before flying to Australia.