TL;DR: National’s appointment of a foreign minister is shaping up as a key decision in Government-forming negotiations, and not just as a way to get Winston Peters to agree to a confidence and supply deal.
New Zealand’s Five Eyes partners are uneasy about the relatively more pro-China views of National’s Foreign Affairs spokesman Gerry Brownlee and have preferred Peters in the past, given his track record of championing the ‘Pacific Pivot’ now seen as a key strategy in the contest between the United States and China.
ACT, who also have a much more critical attitude on China issues, may also want to see a more ‘hawkish’ Foreign Minister, particularly if it means Peters is out of the country and regularly away from economic and political dramas. See more below, including detail on National’s connections with China through former National MP Jian Yang and donations to National from business people connected to CCP-linked organisations, along with the Security Intelligence Services’ naming of China with Russia and Iran as states engaged in foreign interference in a report in August.
Elsewhere in the news this morning:
Winston Peters is set to block National’s plan to lift the pension age from 2044 and stop ACT’s demand for lifting it from next year Stuff Rob Stock
Te Pāti Māori hopes for bigger electorate haul and overhang could affect coalition agreements RNZ Checkpoint Anusha Bradley The Post-$$$ Nikki Macdonald; and,
Christchurch City Council is considering shutting libraries and cutting swimming pool hours to avoid 18% rates increase. The Press-$$$ Tina Law
Paying subscribers can see more detail below the paywall fold and hear more of my analysis in the podcast above.
The return of the wink? Or the Cheshire Cat’s grip ’n’ grin?
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Kākā by Bernard Hickey to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
