New Zealand PM Pushes For Nuclear Disarmament, Calls Out China’s Human Rights Abuses at NATO Event

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern called for nuclear disarmament in her speech to the NATO Summit in Madrid.

” This crossroads should serve as a basis to stop the production weapons that cause our mutually assured destruction, because it is impossible.” she stated.

Ardern stated that New Zealand was “proudly nuclear-free .”

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Talks about Russia’s invasion in Ukraine were the main topic of this event. NATO’s first Strategic Concept Document was also approved.

New Zealand does not belong to the NATO military alliance, but it has been an associate country for over a decade.

The prime minister stressed that, while New Zealand was invited to join the coalition, it wasn’t here “to expand our military alliances .”

“Aotearoa, New Zealand maintains a strongly held independence in its foreign policy,” she stated. We are one of the most stable and oldest liberal democracies .”

She said that New Zealand’s foreign policy interventions are made in an effort to counter the dehumanization of the human race.

” On this basis, we can be unambiguous. Ardern stated that the war in Ukraine was wrong.

Ardern blasted the Russian invasion, but also warned NATO members to not allow the “arms race”, or more dangerous legacy of war to be a part of their world.

” Our solidarity with Ukraine should be matched up by an equal commitment towards strengthening international institutions, multilateral forums and disarmament,” she stated.

(L to R) Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol pose for a group photograph ahead of an Indo-Pacific Partners meeting during the NATO summit at the Ifema congress centre in Madrid, on June 29, 2022. (Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP through Getty Images

China Recognised as a Threat

In NATO’s Strategic Concept China was officially branded as a threat to security and criticised for its use of economic leverage to create strategic dependencies and increase its influence .”

” The People’s Republic of China (PRC) uses a wide range of economic and political tools to expand its global reach and project power, while being opaque about its strategy and intentions.” the document stated.

Ardern then called out China to be more assertive and open to challenging international norms and rules.

“We must react to any actions that we observe. She said that we must insist on the rules-based system, demand diplomatic engagement, and voice our disapproval of human rights violations at any time when they occur.

NATO was clear in its assessment of China’s growing threat. This was made evident by the invitation to the summit from Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

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Rebecca Zhu resides in Sydney. Her focus is on Australian and New Zealand affairs. Have a tip for us? Contact her at [email protected].