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It is imperative that the strategic environment in Asia remains stable to support peace and prosperity. Despite the lack of longstanding institutions to manage crises and build confidence, for the most part the region has been stable since the 1970s. Flashpoints remain: the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait, and localised disputes in South and Southeast Asia. But the likelihood of military conflict is to some extent reduced by the focus of Asian countries on continued economic growth. Relations between the largest players in the region are in reasonably good shape.
Significant shifts in the geopolitical landscape are becoming apparent. China’s re-emergence is changing the political and economic balance in Asia. India is also on the rise. The “bow waves” created by growth in these two countries have given the rest of the region a new range of interests, some of them competitive.
Rapid changes in society and culture have created new pressures, intensified by the uneven distribution of economic benefits. These developments have the potential to challenge regional stability, spill over into the Pacific and affect New Zealand interests. It is therefore important for us to contribute as best we can to help resolve any problems they cause.
Our defence forces (and their police colleagues) make a unique contribution to New Zealand’s work for peace and security in the region. The involvement of New Zealand defence personnel in Asia stretches back to the Second World War, and has seen the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) present in Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, the Korean Peninsula and Viet Nam. Later, the NZDF had a role, under UN command, in rebuilding Cambodia, and under different arrangements from 1999 to 2003 and again from 2006 to nation-building in Timor-Leste, alongside the New Zealand Police.
Today, New Zealand is an active participant in the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) alongside Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom. In Korea, New Zealand contributes to the UN Command Military Armistice Commission. In a new and significant move, our NZDF provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan includes a Singapore element.
In addition to its operational activities in the region, the NZDF is building a capacity for dialogue with defence counterparts in countries such as Japan, China, Korea and Viet Nam. Deepening our defence and security understanding of the region and strengthening our engagement with individual countries is a component of our broader diplomacy and confi dence-building efforts.
In conflict resolution, New Zealand takes an active interest in regional initiatives.
Progress in regional security dialogues has been modest, but the ASEAN Regional
Forum (ARF) and other mechanisms play their part in promoting regional co-operation.
The ARF fosters a much-needed defence and broader security-related dialogue, long
supported by New Zealand, and we have also promoted confi dence-building
amongst defence forces. New Zealand interests are best served in ensuring that
these mechanisms evolve in a positive direction, towards preventive diplomacy and
conflict management, while bedding in practices of collaboration and consultation.top of page
The term “Track II” refers to informal discussions on political, security and economic issues in the Asia Pacifi c region. (Track I are offi cials-only discussions while Track 1.5 includes officials in their private capacity alongside non-offi cials.) Track II discussions have helped shape and advance some important agendas which have had a significant impact on New Zealand.
Track II meetings enable information to be shared, develop confi dence and relationships, and trial concepts, thereby facilitating formal processes. The economic dialogue, through the Pacifi c Economic Co-operation Council, eventually gave rise to the formation of APEC. The Council for Security Co-operation in the Asia Pacifi c’s political and security dialogue has contributed to the work of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
Other exchanges involving regional think-tanks, academics, business people and commentators reinforce Track II. In many cases, participants have also served to generate discussion and informed debate at home.
Countering terrorism has become a major task in Asia, as it is elsewhere. The
Government is working with partners throughout the Asian region, either bilaterally
or in regional forums including the ARF and APEC, to develop new avenues of
co-operation to counter terrorism. New Zealand concluded a joint Declaration on
Co-operation to Combat International Terrorism with ASEAN in 2005, and established
the Asia Security Fund in 2006 in order to boost support for regional counterterrorism
capacity. The New Zealand Police is an active contributor to the Jakarta
Law Enforcement Co-operation Centre and the South East Asia Region Centre for
Counter Terrorism.
An important element of this work is promoting efforts to understand and deal with
the underlying causes contributing to terrorist activity. Interfaith dialogue can help
to break the false link between terrorism and religion, and enables moderate religious voices to be heard. Such a dialogue also demonstrates the importance
New Zealand attaches to being an inclusive and tolerant society which accepts
diverse cultures and beliefs. New Zealand support for interfaith dialogue took on
a new dimension with the hosting of the Asia Pacifi c dialogue at Waitangi in May 2007. In parallel, and also in May 2007, the Prime Minister chaired a symposium on the UN
Alliance of Civilisations, focusing Asia Pacifi c attention on the alliance and exploring
the potential for a regional response.
New Zealand immigration officials are working with Asian partners, both bilaterally and regionally (such as APEC), in capacity-building to smooth the legitimate movement of peoples. New Zealand was involved in setting up a new framework for regional collaboration, the “Bali Process”, to help manage risks of people smuggling and trafficking and other illegal activity.
Science and technology co-operation with Asia has been to our mutual benefit,
with growing relationships developing with Singapore, China, Japan and Korea in
particular. At the regional level, a good example of science and technology links is
the involvement of Environmental Science and Research (a leading Crown Research
Institute) in the establishment of PulseNet Asia Pacifi c, a regional network providing
early warning on food-borne disease outbreaks, emerging food-borne infections and
potential acts of food bioterrorism. New Zealand’s health, animal health, food safety
and other related agencies have their own ties with counterparts in the region, and
there is ongoing demand for New Zealand input into capacity-building work. top of page
Complementary interests make for natural partnerships in science collaboration. New Zealand and Singaporean research organisations have engaged because of mutual interest in biotechnologies, particularly biomedical research. Both recognise the benefi t in connecting leading New Zealand biomedical researchers with Singapore research centres that are establishing themselves as global players in biomedical science. New Zealand’s Crop and Food Research Institute recently established links with a Chinese research institute because of shared interests in food technologies and agricultural sciences, particularly plant sciences
Environmental Science and Research is New Zealand’s foremost provider of scientific services related to public health, environmental health and forensic science. It provides expert scientific advisory services to the Malaysian Centre for Environmental Protection and Information. ESR has designed and installed a forensic DNA database for the Royal Malaysian Police, and has established a teaching and research collaboration relationship with the government university responsible for teaching biomedical and forensic services in Thailand..
The region is becoming increasingly concerned with some of the unwanted results of economic success, such as growing resource competition (notably energy and water) and environmental problems. The challenges of dealing with climate change and energy security are becoming priority areas for Asian countries, and New Zealand has a stake in how the region deals with these issues.
New Zealand is involved in environmental co-operation activities with several countries, including through arrangements linked to the Closer Economic Partnership with Thailand and the Trans Pacifi c Strategic Economic Partnership with Singapore, Brunei and Chile. New Zealand businesses have engaged in projects with the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Viet Nam to develop geothermal resources and wind power, and to establish biogas and waste management facilities. These help show that environmental improvement is not simply a cost but also has economic and social benefi ts through improved health and welfare.
The government requires New Zealand’s free trade and other agreements to support sustainable development and nvironmental principles. Parallel to trade agreements, New Zealand has environment arrangements whereby each FTA partner affirms its commitments to sustainability and a sound environment. These arrangements also provide a framework for strengthening environmental co-operation between parties. In practice, this has seen New Zealand environment and transport offi cials travelling to Thailand and Singapore to learn about transport management issues, including vehicle emission technologies and standards. There have been exchanges on issues ranging from coastal management to environmental education. There have been workshops with Thailand on water management, and on environmental impact assessments with Brunei.
Our good neighbour approach has an economic dimension. The 1997 fi nancial crisis
was a setback for the region, and managing economic risks remains a priority. Work
continues, especially in terms of corporate and fi nancial sector reforms and improving institutional frameworks, in order to strengthen capacity to manage
future challenges. New Zealand takes an active part in this work at very senior levels
through the APEC fi nance ministers and APEC economic committee processes.top of page
While the Pacific is the primary focus of New Zealand’s offi cial development assistance (ODA), Asia is our next priority. There remain some deep pockets of poverty in the region. Effective development lifts living standards, while also supporting the region’s security, investment and trading environment.
New Zealand ODA to the region is managed by the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID). NZAID’s Asia strategy gives highest priority to Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste, and emphasises sustainable rural livelihoods, complemented by initiatives in other sectors such as education.
Disaster relief and humanitarian assistance – Like New Zealand, many Asian countries straddle the geologically unstable “Pacifi c Ring of Fire”. NZAID works with governments, the UN and NGOs to build disaster response capacity in Asia. Our NGOs make a particularly important contribution in this area. Disaster prevention and planning expertise from New Zealand consultants is valued highly.
Conflict prevention and poverty reduction – Programmes in Mindanao (the Philippines) and Maluku (Indonesia) are examples of NZAID work in this area. In Laos and Cambodia, support for mine-clearance programmes increases access to productive land and improves livelihoods for affected communities. NZAID is a partner with NZDF and NZ Police (the latter is now part of the UN operation) in Timor-Leste.
Human rights promotion – NZAID’s work integrates human rights and development, for example, in Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia.
Human resources development and capacity building – Funding supports the Mekong Institute, in northeast Thailand, which offers courses to improve the skills of officials and advance economic integration among the Greater Mekong Subregion members (Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Yunnan province, China).
English language training – Longstanding efforts include English Language Training for Officials (ELTO), the Mekong Institute, and NZAID’s trade and development programme. ELTO brings 64 offi cials from Southeast Asia each year to New Zealand to study English; another 50 undertake aid-funded post-graduate study at New Zealand universities.
Trade training – NZAID helps countries take part in the global trading system in order to maximise the benefits to them of trade. In Southeast Asia, NZAID helps offi cials gain skills in negotiations and implementation of trade liberalisation, work that is co-ordinated with ASEAN.
The Colombo Plan was a high-profile and effective aid programme in its day. It laid the foundation for some enduring relationships between New Zealand and the region. Colombo Plan alumni have helped open doors for New Zealand in their home countries in politics, business and other sectors, and some of their children have chosen New Zealand institutions for their own studies.
These days, our universities offer scholarships directly to promising young people
from Asian countries. Moreover, these countries are increasingly able to fund the
education of their own people and some have become aid donors themselves. So it makes sense for NZAID to collaborate with wealthier Asian countries to meet the
development challenges in the region. The NZAID-Singapore English language
training programme in third countries is a good model of this new, collective approach.
There may be scope to broaden this sort of partnership to the Pacifi c region.
As a democratic country which has long been at the forefront of promoting human rights internationally, we welcome any moves by Asian countries to promote the rule of law, good governance and the full range of human rights in the region. New Zealand participates, both as a government and through NGOs, in regional human rightsbuilding mechanisms. The New Zealand Human Rights Commission, for example, assisted in the creation of the Asia Pacific Forum of Human Rights Institutions in 1996. Bilaterally, the government will continue to raise individual human rights cases with our Asian neighbours.
New Zealand’s ability to participate in the consideration of regional affairs and to shape decisions in the region rests on the extent to which we respond to the problems and challenges faced by the region. If we want to embrace the benefi ts of engagement, we must also be a good neighbour. That means looking for ways to work together, understanding each other better, respecting one another’s differences, and maintaining those relationships through the inevitable ups and downs.
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