What Ardern will and won’t discuss with Xi Jinping
Ardern won't say anything privately to Xi that she hasn't already said publicly which means China's Covid-Zero approach will be off the table but the country's stance on the Ukraine war may be raised
Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Friday, November 18, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: a snapshot of the health of New Zealanders; “reheated” boot camp policy from National; ways we can tackle our emissions problem; but first Xi Jinping doesn’t like surprises and what we can expect from Ardern’s meeting with him
The last time Jacinda Ardern and Xi Jinping met face-to-face in Beijing in 2019. (Photo: Kenzaburo Fukuhara - Pool/Getty Images)
Xi publicly rebukes Canadian prime minister
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern will meet Chinese president Xi Jinping tonight (NZT). Ardern travelled to Thailand yesterday where the APEC leaders’ summit will kick off. As Claire Trevett writes (paywalled), Xi’s public rebuke of Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau yesterday provided a lesson in how Xi can react if he feels he has been ambushed or pushed too hard. In a clip recorded by the media pool at the G20 summit in Indonesia, Xi pulled Trudeau aside and said it was “not appropriate” for details about a previous conversation between the two leaders to have been shared with media, suggesting Trudeau lacked “sincerity” in his approach.
Quiet, mature, circumspect dialogue expected between Ardern and Xi
Trevett notes previous comments from Ardern that suggest the prime minister will be more circumspect in her approach to the meeting. Ahead of arriving in Bangkok, Ardern described the New Zealand relationship with China as “mature”. Ardern has said she won't say anything privately to Xi that she hasn't already said publicly. That means trade, the Pacific and perhaps the condemnation of the treatment of Uyghur people in the Xinjiang province. As Newsroom’s Jo Moir writes, China's Covid-Zero approach and its impact on the global economy, is regarded strictly as a domestic issue for China by Ardern.
Ardern may raise the war in Ukraine with Xi
As it has dominated the G20 talks in Bali, Russia and its ongoing war against Ukraine will dominate the APEC agenda. Fantastic “today in history” photo of world leaders talking about the missile strike in Poland here. Ardern may raise the war with Xi. There’s been some hope that having Xi at the G20 and APEC summits might further tilt China’s stance on war away from its previously expressed support of Russia. French president, Emmanuel Macron, has said he believes Xi can play a mediating role that prevents a resumption of large-scale land fighting in Ukraine. Ardern says she believes the facetime Xi has had with leaders will ease rising global tensions.
Warning to New Zealand on Taiwan
Closer to home, the Chinese ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, addressed the NZ Institute of International Affairs on Monday. As Newsroom’s Sam Sachdeva writes, the warning around any challenge to his country’s stance on Taiwan was clear. “There is no red line redder than the Taiwan question,” he said. Wang said “The complete reunification of the motherland” was essential for China’s rejuvenation. Wang emphasised that “constructive dialogue rather than megaphone diplomacy” was required when managing differences. Ardern will continue to take that approach when she meets Xi tonight.
Tinder for giving launches in New Zealand
The team at Vodafone (soon to be One New Zealand) know New Zealanders want to donate to charity but don’t always have the means. With their new initiative One Good Kiwi, anyone can get involved in a charitable donation of $100,000 every month. Swipe through the featured charities (that’s the Tinder part!) and vote for them using tokens on the One Good Kiwi app. At the end of each month each featured charity – focused on providing better outcomes to our rangatahi – receives a portion of the monthly donation decided by your votes. Read more on The Spinoff and give back to Aotearoa charities on the One Good Kiwi app today. (Sponsored)
How healthy are New Zealanders?
Stuff’s Hannah Martin breaks down the latest findings of the New Zealand Health Survey. The survey gives us an annual snapshot of the health of the nation. Most participants reported being in “good health” overall (88.4%), similar to last year, and parents reported 98% of kids were in good health. We’re smoking less, but vaping more. One in nine adults and almost a quarter of 15 to 14-year-olds have experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. Only 10% of adults met the daily vegetable serving recommendation while 12% of children lived in households where food runs out “sometimes or often”, down from 20% in 2019/20.
National reheats boot camp policy
I was tempted to put in stories both from 2017 when the National party last introduced a policy about military-style camps for youth offenders, and today, and see if you could pick the year. Stewart Sowman-Lund has done a good job of looking at the various retreads, failures and arguments for and against this approach which doesn't just date back to 2017, but 2009. John Key floated it in his state-of-the-nation speech in 2008 and announced an implementation a year later. Only two of the 17 youth offenders sent to the camps at the time across the first two years of the scheme had not reoffended by 2011. Responses to yesterday’s announcement weren’t overly enthusiastic. A few journos have observed it might play well politically while also acknowledging all evidence suggests it's not the right approach. Politics is politics but frankly, that’s a bit depressing. Probably a good time to include this vintage edition of The Side Eye on tough on crime approaches.
How do we solve our emissions issues?
Methane and nitrous oxide produced by cows and sheep remain the biggest barrier to Aotearoa meeting its emissions reduction goal. Science writer Melanie Newfield talks with Bernard Hickey in the latest episode of When the Facts Change to break down The Government's recent policy announcement and discuss why gassy livestock is so crucial to the country's climate solution.
Click and collect
The country's hospitals owe more than a quarter of a million people $2 billion in backpay
New Zealanders want fuel tax cut to continue after January
Married couples no longer dominant demographic having kids
New Zealand's tech sector's revenue and exports up 9%
Convictions and sentencing for the three men involved in the 2014 shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine
Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.
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Super Sports Friday
First to the Rugby League World Cup. The Kiwi Ferns will play two-time defending champions Australia on Sunday (2:15am NZT) at Old Trafford, ahead of the men’s final between the Kangaroos and Samoa (5am). There is not a Sāmoan flag to be found in Auckland ahead of that game. Ian Foster has named his team for the All Blacks game against England, where the ghost of the 2019 World Cup semi-final is wafting about. That’s on Sunday at 6:30am (NZT). The Black Caps play a T20 international against India in Wellington tonight at 7.30pm. Coverage is on TVNZ 1 and Spark Sport but with rain and thunderstorms forecast, start of play could be delayed.
It’s Friday so…
Absolutely outrageous decision here but the US Patent and Trademark Office has denied Mariah Carey's petition to be the one and only "Queen of Christmas". Elizabeth Chan, a singer whose career is exclusively devoted to Christmas music, filed a series of oppositions to Carey's trademarking bid. I don’t know her but Chan was baptised on December 25, her daughter's name is Noelle and she refers to her grandmother as the original Queen of Christmas. I would listen to a Christmas duet between the two of them.
