Source: Radio New Zealand
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon fronts media after his State of the Nation speech. RNZ / Calvin Samuel
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says “tariffs are not the way forward”, as the United States and the European Union go head to head over Greenland.
“We don’t want to see a downward spiral of tariffs and tit-for-tat tariffs, it’s just not acceptable” Luxon told media, after his State of the Nation speech on Monday.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump threatened eight European allies with a 10 percent additional tariff for opposing his plans to buy or annex Greenland.
The EU was reportedly considering retaliatory tariffs worth about 93 billion euros, the equivalent of about NZ$187 billion.
Luxon said it was in New Zealand’s interest to see a “healthy trans-Atlantic relationship in place”, through discussion, debate and dialogue.
“If the US has genuine concerns around Arctic security, we’ll have those conversations.”
He wouldn’t say whether it was appropriate for the EU to retaliate with tariffs.
“That’s a decision for them to make.”
His comments were the first time Luxon had spoken publicly about international events, following the summer break.
He said events in Iran were “incredibly concerning” and “worrying”.
“When you actually see a government using its own forces to kill its own citizens – utterly unacceptable.”
Luxon was also asked about the strike conducted by the United States on Venezuela, in which President Nicolas Maduro was captured.
He said he didn’t have “a lot of time for Nicolas Maduro” and the New Zealand government hadn’t recognised his government – “We saw it as illegitimate” – but he expected every country to be “compliant with international law”.
Ultimately, he said, it was “up to the US to demonstrate that they were compliant with international law”.
“That’s up to them to demonstrate that, as it is for every individual country, to say that they’re operating with an international law.”
Asked why he didn’t speak about the issue earlier, he said Foreign Minister Winston Peters summarised the situation “superbly well” in his statement.
“I didn’t need to add anything more to it.”
On Monday, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the government could have been “more visible and more principled” on all those issues.
“Standing up for international laws [and] international rules is something New Zealand has taken very principled positions on in the past, and we should continue to do so.”
Labour condemned the US attack on Venezuela as a “breach of international law”.
Hipkins said he had “no time” for the previous government of Venezuela, “but going and effectively taking over a country with no international law behind you is a very, very big step for the United States to take”.
“For New Zealand to say nothing about that, I think, has been an abrogation of what has previously been a very principled foreign policy position by New Zealand.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
