China critical to N.Z.—Mr Lange

Press, 16 February 1984, Page 6

China critical to N.Z.—Mr Lange

NZPA staff correspondent Peking China was a critical country in New Zealand’s international relationships, said the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Lange, in Peking yesterday. New Zealand saw China as both a huge regional Power and a significant trading partner, he said. Relations with China were very good, he told reporters, and contacts between the two countries had grown significantly since a Labour Government recognised China diplomatically in 1972.

Mr Lange said he had noted in his meetings with senior officials a quiet assurance about China’s future in contrast to his last visit three years ago. “The feeling then seemed to be, ‘Where do we go now?’” he said. A sense of confidence now appeared in the course set and there was no talk of the previous decade’s turmoil which had been so evident during his meetings in 1981. Mr Lange said he consid-

ered his appointment with Premier Zhao Ziyang scheduled for today as a “major meeting” and he would seek his assessment of the world political situation.

“I am particularly looking forward to hearing his assessment of the Soviet Union’s position in the Pacific in the light of the alleged build-up of Soviet naval strength in the region,” said Mr Lange. “I shall also be interested in hearing what advantages he sees as having come from his United States visit,” he said. Mr Lange said he would be keen to discover how the Soviet change of leadership was perceived by China. He was also interested in discussing the Chinese view on initiatives taken by the association of South-East Asian Nations (A.S.E.A.N.), particularly regarding the Vietnamese occupation of Kampuchea. On his previous visit Chinese officials had expressed some caution at A.S.E.A.N.’s taking political initiatives, said Mr Lange, who last

week visited Kampuchean refugee camps. Queried on the “root cause” of world tension, a question perhaps designed to provoke a comment on United States-Soviet relations, Mr Lange said he did not believe either country had any desire to annihilate each other.

He said nations that had developed clear signals for when they were “hot and cold” towards each other could prove less of a danger than the proliferation of nuclear weapons among countries that had not.

Mr Lange said New Zealand valued its relationship with China because China had respected nations for their principles, not just their size.

He said New Zealand saw its trade with China getting much better with the growth rate in the Chinese economy. New Zealand saw itself playing a role in China’s modernisation in the areas of specialised agricultural, forestry, and food technology, and that bilateral relations were “bound to prosper.”