Modi’s visit to New Zealand coincides with Peters’ Asia trip – expert

Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ visit to Singapore and Japan is important – but it coincides with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit this week, according to a foreign affairs expert.

Modi will visit New Zealand for two days later this week – the first Indian prime minister to visit the country in 40 years – when he arrives on Friday.

His visit will be in part a celebration of the New Zealand-India free trade deal signed in April, which Peters publicly opposed.

Although the deal has not yet been ratified, the legislative process is underway after Labor agreed to support it while Peters refused to do so.

Last week, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said Peters’ opposition to the deal had been “unhelpful” and said it risked damaging relations between New Zealand and India.

When Modi arrives in New Zealand, Peters will go on a trip to Singapore and Japan. He left on June 5 and will return on June 12, the day after Modi left.

Foreign affairs expert and University of Otago professor Robert Patman said it was a “relatively unusual” situation.

“It is relatively unusual for the prime minister and foreign minister of a government – ​​even if it is a three-party coalition government – ​​to fundamentally disagree on a key foreign policy initiative such as the FTA with India.

“If New Zealand’s past practices are to be believed, the Prime Minister normally has the final say on foreign policy. But that does not appear to be the case with this coalition government the country is running. In fact, Winston Peters publicly indicated during the tenure of this coalition government that he believed he was in charge of New Zealand’s foreign policy.”

Patman said Peters had “shown no signs” of moderating his opposition to the FTA and was unlikely to want to do anything diplomatic, which “suggests he is watering down his opposition to appease National Party support”.

However, he noted that Singapore and Japan, where Peters is visiting this week, are both “widely considered vital to New Zealand’s core economic and security interests in the Indo-Pacific”.

“So the timing of visits can be convenient in some ways for [Peters]no one can dispute that Winston Peters will seriously engage in foreign policy work during his absence.”

In response to questions from 1News about the timing of Peters’ trip coinciding with Modi’s visit to New Zealand, Peters’ office said the Foreign Minister’s schedule was planned “months in advance” and guided by the Foreign Office strategy and the government’s international engagement strategy.

“The timing is independent of whether the PM welcomes PM Modi.”

“A leader-level visit” – Luxon

Speaking to the media, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Peters’ absence was “completely normal” as the Indian prime minister was expected to arrive.

“This is a leadership-level visit, the same way I am hosted by leaders overseas, and the foreign minister is also not with me on these visits. I was hosted in India by Prime Minister Modi. I am hosting him here in New Zealand. The foreign minister actually has to do business in Singapore and Japan.

“This is completely normal. I do not travel with the foreign minister and I do not visit other leaders when I am abroad.”

When Luxon was again pressed on Peters’ absence, he said: “I don’t recall accompanying the Foreign Minister on any other visit I made abroad, and we often hosted visitors here when we were both not here in the country at the time.”

“It’s completely normal. So, I would just say that it’s a leader-to-leader visit that we’re organizing here.

“We also have an important relationship, as you know, since it moved to a comprehensive strategic partnership with Singapore. We have also strengthened our defense ties with Japan, and it is appropriate that the Foreign Minister also looks after global affairs.”