New Zealand’s biggest pivot since the 1980s
An interview with Christopher Luxon, the prime minister reshaping its foreign policy
On September 25th the Aotearoa, one of just a handful of ships in the Royal New Zealand Navy, sailed through the Taiwan Strait alongside an Australian destroyer. The idea was to demonstrate to China that its claims to sole control of the waterway are invalid under international law. America does it several times a year, despite condemnations from China, sometimes with allies such as Canada. Australia does, too. New Zealand has not made such a bold move since 2017.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Kiwis come in from the cold”
From the October 19th 2024 edition
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