24. China policy in New Zealand and Australia - with Jason Young

New Zealand and Australia are geographically close, and similar in many ways. When it comes to China policy, there are similarities but also important differences. Both countries have witnessed intensifying debate about Chinese Government influence or interference; the extent to which our countries should be involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); and the overall direction of our foreign policies between our long-standing alliances with the US and increasing economic reliance on China. How does the current New Zealand Government characterise its relationship with China? Has New Zealand’s attitude towards China’s aid in the South Pacific changed over time? What is New Zealand’s position on the BRI, and what does it hope to gain in negotiations of an upgrade to its free trade agreement with China? Jason Young, Acting Director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre at the Victoria University of Wellington, joins James Laurenceson, Deputy Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) at the University of Technology Sydney to discuss what New Zealand and Australia can learn from each other as their relationships with China evolve.