Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Chinese President Xi Jinping spent much of their bilateral meeting in Bangkok at APEC discussing the earlier launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea.
The bilateral was scheduled to go for 20 minutes but went for closer to 50 minutes as the two leaders discussed the incident and other matters.
“The bulk of the meeting was spent on the issues of the day, we’re obviously at an inflection point in the region where today DPRK’s (North Korea’s) decision to launch another missile that is allegedly within the EEZ (exclusive economic zone) of Japan is obviously another step up in escalation in the region,” Ardern told reporters following her standup.
Ardern repeatedly refused to say exactly what Xi’s view was on the ballistic missile launch by China’s neighbour, but said she felt all APEC nations shared the same view that it is in no one’s interest to see a loss of peace and stability in the region.
Asked if she thought the missile launch was deliberately timed to coincide with APEC, Ardern wasn’t sure.
“I cannot tell you what it is in the mind of the Noerth Korean leadership, so I cannot tell you whether or not they are deliberate provocations,” Ardern said.
She said she also raised New Zealand’s concerns about China’s actions in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the South China Sea, and also about its abuse of the Muslim Uighur people.
“I raised them specifically and you know that I also raised them in the East Asia Summit and you know I’m consistent, that’s part of our approach on these issues. “.
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