Mr Palmer in East Asia

Press, 18 March 1987, Page 20

Mr Palmer in East Asia

Mr Palmer is wearing mainly his Deputy Prime Minister’s hat during his visits to China and Japan, although he is briefly putting on his hat as Minister of Justice to give a talk on constitutional aspects of New Zealand’s relationship with some Pacific islands. In both China and Japan the visits are part of efforts to continue Government-to-Government exchanges at a high level. The invitation to visit China came during last year’s visit to New Zealand by the Chinese Vice-Premier, Mr Wan Li. Mr Palmer will give some weight to trade in his talks; but he is concerned to show, during his visit to China, that the relationship between China and New Zealand is not based solely on commercial grounds. For that reason he is helping to launch a New Zealand Studies Centre.

China has developed rapidly as a market for New Zealand. Japan is New Zealand’s biggest two-way trading partner. For reasons of trade alone, keeping up high-level Government contacts is very important. The influence of both China and Japan on world affairs and the world economy is also significant. In Japan Mr Palmer will be talking to Mr Kuranari, the Foreign Minister, who has been expressing ideas on Pacific development. Before he went to China, Mr Palmer attended a conference on the Pacific

Basin concept in Vancouver. Doubtless he will be discussing some of the ideas expressed at that conference with Mr Kuranari. He should also be able to learn at first hand what Mr Kuranari thinks about development in the Pacific and Japan’s relationship with the Pacific. The main address that Mr Palmer will give in Japan is about New Zealand’s relationship with the Cook Islands, Niue, and the Tokelaus. This relationship is important partly because of Japan’s growing interest in the South Pacific, and partly because Japan is sorting out its own relationship with the Federated States of Micronesia, which until last year were a trust territory of the United States. There are a number of parallels between the relationship of the United States with the Federated States of Micronesia and New Zealand’s relationship with the Cooks, Niue,, and Tokelau. As more countries become interested in the South Pacific, other countries’ understanding of the relationship between New Zealand and these islands becomes more important for the purposes of aid and for other links. Before he was a politician, Mr Palmer was a university teacher of constitutional law. He is eminently qualified to clarify the points and to explain what happens in practice.