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Last updated on June 15th, 2017 at 01:12 pm
Pretty funny line in this story about John Howard negotiating a trade deal with the dictatorial regime in Beijing:
At the start of his meeting with President Hu, Mr Howard said the decision to negotiate an agreement was “historic” – the first agreement between China and a fully developed country. His claim is despite New Zealand already being well into negotiations on a free trade agreement with China.
If Johnny was having a dig, put it down to the fact that NZ tried very hard to insinuate itself into Australia’s recent “free trade” negotiations with the US. Didn’t work–that whole nuclear ships ban thing still bites–but it sounds like there might still be some trans-Tasman tensions.
Poor old Middle Earth.
- Is your elven made sword glowing blue, now, Master Frodo?Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 04/18 at 11:19 AM • #
- How do you say “Sting” in mandarin?Posted by Mr. Bingley on 04/18 at 12:05 PM • #
- Canada of the South Pacific, it is.Posted by Aaron – Freewill on 04/18 at 12:18 PM • #
- Aaron – Freewill,
Canada of the South Pacific, it is.
More like the Quebec of the south pacific.
Posted by Kofi Annan on 04/18 at 01:00 PM • #
- Didn’t work–that whole nuclear ships ban thing still bites …
Oh yes. The US never forgets its friends (see Australia, Great Britain) and never forgets its transgressors. For example, we still well remember the US bombing run of Libya in 1986 in which France (who else?) rejected US requests to shorten the flight path of US fighter jets taking off from British air fields by flying directly over their country. It more than doubled the flight time of the jets and created greater risk of accidents from fatigue. Nope. Haven’t forgot that one either.
Nor Austria’s rejection of US requests to travel across their country on the trip from German military bases to the Middle East. Nope. Haven’t forgot that one either.
And don’t even bring up Canada.
Nope, we don’t forget our friends, and we don’t forget our non-friends.
Posted by wronwright on 04/18 at 07:54 PM • #
- Sorry, wronwight.
The fact is, as British PM Benjamin Disraeli said years ago, “Nations have no permanent friends and no permanent enemies. Only permanent interests.”This applies equally to the US. The US Administration will always do whatever it perceives as being in the interest of the US. That is precisely what the citizens of the US expect.
Posted by pog-ma-thon on 04/18 at 08:13 PM • #
- Well, I would agree with you pog-ma-thon. But then, that begs the question what is in the best interests of the US?
To reward those who oppose us? To help those who refuse to help us?
Or to remember those who stood beside us in times of trouble?
That doesn’t mean we won’t reach out to help France in times of crisis. But between helping Australia and helping Austria, which has the greater likelihood of happening?
Posted by wronwright on 04/18 at 08:33 PM • #
- Pog-ma-thon — That was Palmerston, I think.
And New Zealand strikes me more as the Vermont of the East, a ‘bedroom community’ country supported by chic tourism and the labor of the surrounding states…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 04/18 at 09:33 PM • #
- this story about John Howard negotiating a trade deal with the dictatorial regime in Beijing:
And if he wasn’t negotiating a FTA with China, you guys would be saying how he was neglecting Asia…
Posted by ArtVandelay on 04/18 at 10:46 PM • #
- Oh yes. The US never forgets its friends (see Australia, Great Britain) and never forgets its transgressors. For example, we still well remember the US bombing run of Libya in 1986 in which France (who else?) rejected US requests to shorten the flight path of US fighter jets […]
The fighters flew off carriers in the Med, they wouldn’t have passed over France in any case.
As far as the other stuff is concerned, someone I consider credible says France just wanted some diplomatic cover, and the ‘official’ version that was released to the press differs somewhat from the actual operational plan.
- just as a matter of record how many free trade agreements did Labor manage in 13 years?Posted by Astonished on 04/19 at 03:44 AM • #
- France wanted diplomatic cover?
Well, it’s like this. The day after the bombing raid, the US network news shows and Nightline drew attention to the fact that the F-111 bombers (I stand corrected) flew completely around France, Spain, Portugal, Gilbraltar, into the Mediterranean, and then to Libya. And then after dropping their bombs, they flew all the way back.
To help the viewers, they put up little planes to show the transit. For some reason the cartoon bombers looked a bit tired as they approached England, drooping a little, but that’s probably just my perception.
The next day the local radio disk jockeys were up in arms over the traitorous behavior exhibited by France (nobody cared about Spain for some reason) and requested that the public begin boycotting anything produced or owned by the French. I myself refused to go to a French owned hypermarket for years. (Or at least that was the excuse I gave to my wife, in truth, it was too dang big to shop in).
So if it was the US’s intent to provide political cover for France, I think they did a good job of it.
Posted by wronwright on 04/19 at 09:30 AM • #
New Zealand is a fully developed country?