Revelations in the latest WikLeaks releases show ministers were told not to meet the Dalai Lama and that the government understood the time wasn't right for a trade deal with the US.Many of the diplomatic cables released are historic and detail years of w
Revelations in the latest WikLeaks releases show ministers were told not to meet the Dalai Lama and that the government understood the time wasn't right for a trade deal with the US.
Many of the diplomatic cables released are historic and detail years of wrangling over the nuclear row/Anzus split and trade.
But among recent cables was one where Prime Minister John Key assured Chinese premier Wen Jiabao no ministers would meet the Dalai Lama – despite a pre-election commitment to hold a meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
US deputy chief of mission Robert Clarke wrote: "[Foreign Affairs China desk director Grahame] Morton said that PM Key had earlier conversed with Premier Wen Jiabao concerning the Dalai Lama's December 4-7 visit to Auckland last year, saying that neither he nor any of his ministers would meet with the Dalai Lama. Morton said the Chinese 'obviously registered' this."
Mr Key is out of the country and unavailable for comment but Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has rejected "any assertion of a deal being done" over the Dalai Lama.
"That decision was made by the prime minister in consultation with relevant ministers. Representatives of the Chinese government were informed of that decision in due course," he said.
"They were also informed that on other occasions a different decision might be made according to the circumstances."
An attempt by the Labour government to move away from the traditional American and Australian influence in the Pacific by favouring China and France was detailed in another cable.
"In laying groundwork for the visit of Chinese President Hu, the Clark government privately mooted that it was necessary for New Zealand to work more closely with other powers such as China and France to curtail US and Australian influence in the region."
Another cable claims New Zealand officials said that anti-nuclear legislation was influenced by wanting to cut defence costs as well as by ideology. Not being part of Anzus meant "lessening the country's defence spending requirements at a time of fiscal and economic crisis."
New Zealand adopted nuclear-free legislation in 1984 when David Lange's Labour government swept into power – effectively blocking visits by US warships.
New Zealand's defence spending was criticised as being too inadequate to cover even "replacement costs for basic coastal defence hardware" and the defence force as having not enough troops for effective peacekeeping operations.
Mr Goff has subsequently said in a statement the comments are wrong and New Zealand made its own judgments on foreign policy.
"Our anti-nuclear weapons stance was driven by principle and was also right," Mr Goff says.
The Labour government has never sought to curb the influence of the US or Australia in the Pacific, but actually encouraged the US to re-engage in the Pacific when it appeared to be disengaging, he says.
"We strengthened our trading position with China, which has hugely helped New Zealand emerge from the global recession."
Other cables show Trade Minister Tim Groser's views on trade. In a memo just last year US deputy chief of mission Robert Clarke wrote that Mr Groser discussed the US decision to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks.
"[Mr Groser] emphasised he understood that the time was not yet ripe for Washington to move forward. He added that he had cautioned his Vietnamese and Peruvian counterparts that it would be 'foolish and even counterproductive' to apply diplomatic pressure on the USG (US government) in an attempt to accelerate the time schedule beyond that dictated by the White House's internal process."
Other cables outline personalities of different politicians and detail activity in the Pacific and other countries as well as day-to-day diplomacy. For example, one cable shows Mr Key pushed for a firm date for a meeting with new President Barack Obama.
"Expectations in NZ were set, Key said, and the matter potentially could turn into a political embarrassment for him."
