Description: New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing as the leaders discussed closer bilateral trade cooperation. The meeting arrives after New Zealand cut aid funding to the Cook Islands due to the islands deepening ties with China. Luxon and Xi also discussed the constantly threatening military tensions in the Indo – Pacific as the New Zealand’s PM stated that China could potentially have a key role in contributing towards finding resolutions to global issues such as the war in Ukraine. After the visit to Beijing, Luxon would head to the NATO Summit in the Hague where he would also discuss geopolitical issues and trade with New Zealand’s European partners.
Impact: New Zealand’s rapprochement towards China highlights the expediently dynamic geopolitical climate globally and especially in the Indo – Pacific. China and New Zealand despite disagreeing on strategic issues are transitioning towards a trade partnership that could impact the geostrategic chemistry between US – aligned countries in the Indo – Pacific. China facing pressure from the trade war with the US has recently reconfirmed expansion of influence in southeast Asia and central Asia, while New Zealand’s trade relations would serve as enlargement of Beijing’s trade codependency portfolio by exploiting China’s massive manufacturing power.