United States – Aotearoa New Zealand Joint Statement | The White House
On May 31, the White House announced the results of Prime Minister Ardern's visit to the United States. I was surprised to read this because I really did not expect it. The position of Aotearoa New Zealand, a small country that maintains an appeasing attitude toward China, is painfully obvious. I have attended several of Prime Minister Ardern's rallies, and I still remember her first greeting was "Ni hao!"
It is a 20,000-word long statement that, along with the U.S., clearly spoke out against China.
My concern is that US-NZ shares the historical fact that it fought against Japan 80 years ago. However, the aim of the Japanese war was to liberate their colonies from the UK, US, New Zealand, Australia, etc. Immediately after World War II began in September 1939, the Western powers immediately militarized the islands in the Pacific. This posed a serious threat to Micronesia, a Japanese mandate territory.
The statement discusses the following three points.
I. Regional architecture and security
II. Indo-Pacific prosperity
III. 21st-Century Challenges
Marine Corps Memorial plaque in Wellington, New Zealand: “To the people of New Zealand: If you ever need a friend, you have one.”
