Climate change and Ukraine on the agenda for Jacinda Ardern's trip to the US
Climate change and trade will be the focus when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern embarks on her next major diplomatic mission to the US later this month. Ardern and Trade Minister Damien OConnor focused on New Zealands values whether they be kaitiakitanga or human rights during speeches to business leaders at the US Business Summit in Auckland on Monday. OConnor urged exporters to think not just about volume to value, but also volume to values. Consumers are increasingly looking for the values with which food and fibre are produced. Kaitiakitanga is good for you and good for the planet, he said. READ MORE: * President Xi Jinping warns Asia-Pacific must not 'relapse' into Cold War conflict, at APEC summit * Covid-19 NZ: MIQ space allocated for James Shaw and eight others to attend Climate summit * New Zealand joins as third party to Australia-China barley trade dispute ahead of Scott Morrison's arrival Ardern and OConnor are scheduled to fly to the US in late May , leading a delegation which the prime minister insists is trade-focused with politics tapped onto the side. However, her speech to the business summit confronted the current major political challenges namely Russias invasion of Ukraine, and climate change. In a pre-recorded speech from Washington, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo thanked New Zealand for its sanctions on Russia and effort to stop our goods and services fuelling Russias invasion. US President Joe Bidens Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which will focus on trade rules for the region and issues such as data protection and carbon emissions, was offered in place of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) which the US withdrew from. It comes amid concerns of Chinas influence in the Pacific, with the latest example being the Solomon Islands and Chinas security arrangement . The deal could see Chinas military or police enter the Solomons, for humanitarian or law and order missions. Ardern said New Zealand enjoyed a unique perspective on China-West relations. But she shared concerns about China and the Solomon Islands security deal. If weve got security needs, lets meet them within our region. So, calling the Solomons come and engage. Tell us where theres a gap, because we have nations in New Zealand and Australia that are willing and ready to fill it, she said. On IPEF, although she said it posed promising opportunities to build digital economies and combat climate change, she moved to manage expectations on how it would affect sectors such as agriculture. While Ardern said IPEF would build stronger relationships with the Pacific and US, she reassured exporters she would reiterate New Zealands desire for the US to join a traditional trade framework or the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), AKA the TPPA version 2. Her upcoming trade mission would discuss climate change and security, she said, during a speech which focused on the role of leadership and business in maintaining peace. We know that keeping the peace is not just a task for soldiers. And leadership is not just the prerogative of the great powers, she said. After all, as the Ukrainian Prime Minister said to me at the beginning of the invasion, there is no 'big or small countries' when it comes to this war just those countries who react." She thanked Biden for his leadership of the response to Russias invasion, saying the world found itself in a position similar to that before World War II. As the world found itself in uncertain times, she said it was important to stick by New Zealand's values and alliances. The legacy of the Savage, Fraser and Nash governments has been on my mind. Because now is another of those times when we as leaders, and as a nation, are reminded of what we stand for and not just to take a stand but to act on those values. Ardern said she was focused on rebuilding the economy following the Covid-19 pandemic, but also to strengthen those relationships as the world once again witnessed war in Europe. She said businesses had a role to play, and the opening of the New Zealands border on Monday to visitors from visa waiver countries such as the US , was a boost for the economy but also global alliances. As well as trade agreements, war, geopolitical concerns in the Pacific, and climate change, Ardern also insisted she would have time for some old-fashioned New Zealand publicity in the US. Be prepared when Im in the United States, it will be absolutely New Zealand shameless. Im hoping, however, that we will not come across any more human-sized kiwifruit, she said.