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NZ will have to tread carefully in relations with US and China
Monday, September 24, 2012 • John Jones
The lifting of the ban on New Zealand warships entering United States harbours is being hailed as the start of a new era for relations between the countries.

Announced during the visit of US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta, it comes in a world that has seen immense changes over the past three decades.

The ban was imposed in 1985 as New Zealand was excluded from the ANZUS pact because of the Lange government’s decision to ban visits from nuclear ships.

It set the scene for one of the most famous moments of Lange’s regime, the Oxford Union debate with evangelist Jerry Falwell and the New Zealand PM’s famous quote, “I can smell the uranium on your breath.”

Succeeding National governments have flirted at times with the idea of lifting that ban but hesitated because they know it is an extremely popular policy.

Restoring military relations with the US has been a goal of National and now they have got what they want without having to confront the anti-nuclear brigade.

A closer relationship with New Zealand is also valuable to America as it seeks to boost its role and profile in the increasingly important, and strategically challenging, Asia-Pacific region.

Both Panetta and Prime Minister John Key say they see no reason why an improved NZ-US relationship would damage the New Zealand-China one. It was encouraging to hear the Chinese Ambassador, Xu Jianguo, say the same — he described our bilateral relationship as the best ever, and is also seeking more military ties.

The New Zealand Government will still have to tread carefully to avoid offending the Asian giant, which is becoming a vital trading partner. In the words of Minister for Economic Development Stephen Joyce, “Without China we are buggered.”

The US has made its share of mistakes but is overwhelmingly a force for good in the world, and will remain the pre-eminent super power for many years to come.

Still, hopefully there is no uranium on the breath of the Americans now.
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