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Ukraine war
This Week in AsiaOpinion
Robert Patman
Robert Patman

Opinion | Helping Ukraine defeat Russia is best way for New Zealand to counter Chinese clout in Indo-Pacific

  • China and India remain important partners of Russia, and show no signs of reducing military and economic ties despite the Ukraine war
  • New Zealand should remain clear-eyed about the connections between its strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific and its support for defeating Russian expansionism

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Ukrainian tanks train in the Chernigiv region on September 8 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo: AFP
Robert Patman
The debate in New Zealand over whether to join “pillar two” of the Aukus security alliance threatens to overshadow a more important foreign policy challenge: how the country’s allies in the Indo-Pacific region are responding to the Ukraine war.
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Aukus seems to be based on the assumption it will deter or counter China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. But it is unclear whether this arrangement would advance the core national interests of New Zealand.

While New Zealand’s “stability, security and prosperity” depend critically – in the words of a recent government document – on an international rules-based order, it is also plain that China is not the sole or even most serious threat to this arrangement.

Meanwhile, the capitals of the Indo-Pacific region have been closely monitoring the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Most supported last year’s United Nations resolution condemning Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” (Laos and Vietnam abstained).

But only Singapore, a close US ally, imposed sanctions on Russia. And generally, the Asean nations’ statements on the invasion have not directly criticised Moscow. This is related to the considerable unease in Asia over the disruption and price shocks for global commodities caused by the Ukraine conflict.

A combine harvests wheat at a field near Kivshovata village, Kyiv region, in July. For many Southeast Asian states, the war has led to soaring prices for food and energy. Photo: AFP
A combine harvests wheat at a field near Kivshovata village, Kyiv region, in July. For many Southeast Asian states, the war has led to soaring prices for food and energy. Photo: AFP

Indo-Pacific interests

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