Politics Live Blog - ongoing (do not replace)
While MPs were debating and voting down the Treaty Principles Bill, the prime minister was on the phone with world leaders
Christopher Luxon, the prime minister, made it clear he was going to hit the phones today and into the evening to speak with "like-minded" world leaders about the challenges posed by US President Donald Trump's so-called trade war.
Luxon had conversations with Malaysia's Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, Viet Nam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong before 6pm. He planned for more calls into the evening. In posts on X, Luxon wrote he and Ibrahim "had a great discussion on how we can work together to support free trade by the rules".
With Chinh they discussed how "we can continue to work together to support the rules-based trading system". His conversation with Wong discussed "how we can continue to work together to collectively support the rules-based trading order and grow our economies".
In a speech to the Wellington chamber of commerce on Thursday morning, he proposed a trade alliance with the EU and members of the CPTPP ( a free trade agreement between 12 countries - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam) that aims to reduce tariffs and create a more competitive trading environment.
“New Zealand will continue to work with like-minded countries to promote free trade as a path to prosperity and explore the role of the CPTPP in strengthening that vision. One possibility is that members of the CPTPP and the European Union work together to champion rules-based trade system and to make some specific commitments on how that support plays out in practice.
Luxon had conversations with Malaysia's Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, Viet Nam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong before 6pm. He planned for more calls into the evening. In posts on X, Luxon wrote he and Ibrahim "had a great discussion on how we can work together to support free trade by the rules".
With Chinh they discussed how "we can continue to work together to support the rules-based trading system". His conversation with Wong discussed "how we can continue to work together to collectively support the rules-based trading order and grow our economies".
In a speech to the Wellington chamber of commerce on Thursday morning, he proposed a trade alliance with the EU and members of the CPTPP ( a free trade agreement between 12 countries - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam) that aims to reduce tariffs and create a more competitive trading environment.
“New Zealand will continue to work with like-minded countries to promote free trade as a path to prosperity and explore the role of the CPTPP in strengthening that vision. One possibility is that members of the CPTPP and the European Union work together to champion rules-based trade system and to make some specific commitments on how that support plays out in practice.
“My vision is that includes action to prevent restrictions on exports and efforts to ensure any retaliation is consistent with existing rules,” he said.
