I have to say it plainly: I’m angry at the sight of two of eN-Zed’s former Prime Ministers standing shoulder to shoulder at a Beijing parade alongside Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. There are moments when symbolism matters more than polite engagement, and this is one of them. By attending this big hoorah parade, Helen Clark and John Key give legitimacy to a stage crafted to showcase an authoritarian alliance. This is wrong.
Let’s be clear: this was not simply a benign commemoration of the end of World War II. China deliberately framed the event as a celebration of its own military might, positioning itself as the leader of a China-centred authoritarian axis. Having our former leaders present at such a spectacle gives the wrong impression. It risks validating regimes whose records of repression, aggression, and disregard for human rights are well-known.
Both Clark and Key are seasoned figures who surely understood the optics of the event. A handshake with Xi Jinping may be standard diplomatic practice, but to do so in the company of Putin and Kim is a line that should not be crossed. Even if their intent was to acknowledge China’s role in the war or to recognise our largest trading partner, the wider context cannot be ignored. New Zealand’s values are at odds with those of the regimes showcased on that red carpet.
New Zealand must tread carefully in foreign policy, but careful does not mean careless. Sharing a stage with dictators at a military parade undermines our credibility and diminishes the principled stance we claim to take on democracy and human rights. Some invitations simply must be declined.
eN-Zed 