Latest / Best of Business / Robert Patman: Otago University international relations professor on the significance of Prime Minister Chris Luxon's trip to Japan

Transcript

Robert Patman: Otago University international relations professor on the significance of Prime Minister Chris Luxon's trip to Japan · Best of Business

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talk zed B.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Speaking of the Prime Minister and speaking of Japan. This
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: is part of as we are Open for Business World
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Tour Japan as our fourth largest export partner. Of course,
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: on the trip carries a significant business delegation if they
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: ever get there. A professor of international relations at Atager University,
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Robert Patman, is, whether it's Robert, very good morning to you.
• 0:33
  Speaker 3: Good morning mine.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: What's your impression of Japan. Mine of Japan is, yes,
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: they're big, and yes they're influential. But of all the
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: countries we do business with, we think at the US,
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: we think of China, we think of the EU, ahead
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: of Japan, Japan seems to fly under the radar a bit.
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: I agree with you in terms of perception. But since
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: all governments since twenty seventeen have made up elevating relations
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: with Japan a priority, and it's no. And that's not
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: surprising because all governments since about that period have been
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: desperate to diversify trade, reduce trade dependence on China. Japan
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: is a partner with US in the Transpacific Partnership, comprehensive
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: and progressive Transpacific partnership. In fact, they were a leading
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: player after the United States poured out of that under
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: mister Trump. So you know, we are seeing of the
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: improving trade with them as part of that arrangement, but
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: obviously we'd like to give it a boost. And I
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: think it's you know, I think it's a really smart
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: move on the part of the government to signal the
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: priority of really boosting relations with Japan. Liberal democracy, big economy.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: Are they open traders. I mean, there's very conservative around
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: certain aspecing a rice and cultural bits and pieces, but.
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: They are like minded, Mike. They do believe in multilateralism
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: and they do believe in the rules based order. So
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: if we can really boost trade relations with them, we're
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: not going to have the sort of complications we have
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: dealing with authoritarian states where we really only have economics
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: or business in comments. So there's a lot of potential
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: in this relationship, and it's just frustrating about as you're
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: saying just before we started speaking about this breakdown in
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: the plane, it's not a good look for the country
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: when we're trying to sell ourselves as having really impressive
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: business sector. It just doesn't you know, it's about time
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: to go and got on top of this.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, will security be an issue things like Orcust,
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: the specific geopolitics of the area.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I understand that Japan is a like New Zealand
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: exploring the option of Pillar two. But we already actually
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: have an upgraded intelligence relationship with Japan, and I think
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: there's my senses there's a lot that can be done
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: to boost by natural security cooperation, and I understand that
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: the Prime Minister will be saying more about that in
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: the course of his visit.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: All right, Robert, good to catch up with you appreciate
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: it very much, Robert Patman, Professor of International Relations, Out
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: of a Tiger.
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: You need for more from News Talks B listen live
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: on or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.