Daily review 24/02/2025

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, February 24th, 2025 - 17 comments
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Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

17 comments on “Daily review 24/02/2025 ”

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  1. SPC 1
    24 February 2025 at 6:34 pm

    But what is disputed is China’s role and influence in the Pacific – and this, rather than a minor naval exercise, is what is causing headaches in Canberra and Wellington.

    Tick

    China has asserted that its relationship with the Cook Islands “is not directed against any third party and should not be subject to or disrupted by any third party”

    What insolence from Beijing, this is part of the realm – self governing like Taiwan that is all.

    If they do not like Taiwan making deals without reference to Beijing I say – how dare you do this then. Total and utter hypocrisy.

    MFAT should send one of the former FM's and Queen's finest to show his buttocks to them in Beijing.

    New Zealand reverts to form.

    Peter Fraser pointing out the flaws of the UNSC arrangement?

    We go nuclear free and champion this for the South Pacific and inspire those in Iceland to do the same in Europe?

    We tell them to stop what is going in Rwanda?

    We do not get involved in the folly of WMD lies and regime change leading to Islamic State – yet more terrorism.

    We co-sponsor UNSC Res2334 in Dec 2016 (the one that made Rainbow sound like a Farangist called Robinson).

    New Zealand is already grappling with how to respond to the Trump administration’s redrawn global system and will be looking for ways to deepen the friendship.

    No. Never. Do not engage with stupid.

    At the same time, the Government now seems committed to joining a new arms race and increasing defence spending as a proportion of GDP.

    And do not first focus on peace-making before an arms race approach?

    And the supposed benefits of joining the second tier of the Aukus security pact may now become that much easier to sell politically.

    Why would we get into bed with AUKUS Pillar 2 when its parties includes one threatening members of NATO, dissing the EU and not standing by international rules based order?

    Do we not still have standards?

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/a-chinese-own-goal-how-war-games-in-the-tasman-sea-could-push-nz-closer-to-aukus/G7DVDFMPRJGYTBABHNNAX7NYPE/

    • SPC 1.1
      24 February 2025 at 6:46 pm

      SCENARIO

      The Cook Islands deal opens up the entire South Pacific to Chinese dominance – as to access, fishing and sea bed mining.

      If New Zealand allows the first 5 year step within its realm, it becomes the standard for totally sovereign islands.

      We do have room to move, as this involves our territory.

      Planning to spend money in the future, and inaction otherwise is a message in itself to the wider region (as to past and future).

      China's actions here is akin to in the sea atolls are our islands and are economic zones claimed into Beijing's orbit, but we will not use them for military purpose – then they did. The breach of trust, a deliberate insolence.

      We have to act.

      1.WP talks to the EU about South Pacific and European international co-operation.

      2.He needs to be seen to concord with Macron and Starmer.

      3.The Europeans (EU, France and UK) are invited to a South Pacific gathering.

      4.New Zealand and Australia call a South Pacific gathering to discuss Cook Islands 5 year agreement – as one in breach of the South Pacific programme. And suspending the China-Cook Islands agreement (as arbiter for its realm within the South Pacific) until it conforms to a wider South Pacific plan.

      • Ad 1.1.1
        24 February 2025 at 9:35 pm

        The Realm has been killed by a v smart China and a fucking dumb MFAT, NZDF, and DPMC.

        China had now got massive Kiribati+Cooks sea territory partnerships.

        It was always a fiction that we had the defence capacity or $$$ to be a proper partnership. It's no fiction with China.

        This is Luxon's massive loss of NZ standing and influence.

        • SPC 1.1.1.1
          24 February 2025 at 9:46 pm

          Maybe they feel in no position to take issue with it, because they are complicit in doing this here – open to global buy out and taking a piece of the action – untaxed CG etc …

          Offloading the problem to future governments – more on defence later.

          Maybe just out of their depth …

        • observer 1.1.1.2
          24 February 2025 at 10:15 pm

          And for the record, Ardern visited the Cook Islands shortly after taking office, when she was pregnant and derided by the Nats as the "part time PM".

          The super dynamic man-gets-things-done not-pregnant PM Luxon hasn't bothered going there yet.

          https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/prime-minister-jacinda-arderns-pacific-charm-offensive-arrives-in-rarotonga/ZSO2RMC4U76NVO4LO2ATMCULEU/

          (note the last paras in that article, so let's not pretend nobody knew. Same foreign minister, very different leadership from PMs)

        • Scud 1.1.1.3
          25 February 2025 at 1:22 am

          Hey don't blame the NZDF & MoD, the NZDF would love to have a permanent presence in the Sth Pacific but are constrained by budget cuts, the ability to raise train & sustain not with Equipment but Manpower.

          But the stupidity of the NZG's & MFAT since 91!

          Because the Cooks, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa & Niue have been asking for a permanent NZDF in the Sth Pacific but MFAT keeps saying No & NZG's don't want to spend the required amount of money for the NZDF to be based in the Sth Pacific.

          To me it's a no brainer, because it might stop others from sniffing around, provide ISR from Air & Sea in the various Sth Pac EEZ's which are just as large as NZ's, more visible presence with the Sth Pacific Patrol Boat Program which is funded by NZ & Oz including the Training Depot out of Fiji & finally a quicker response to HADR if there was a permanent presence in the Sth Pacific.

          Anyway just my thoughts on the matter.

      • Bearded Git 1.1.2
        24 February 2025 at 11:07 pm

        You are not keeping up SPC. The Pacific has been renamed the Gulf of New Zealand.

        Please pay attention.

  2. joe90 2
    24 February 2025 at 8:39 pm

    that echo…

    /

  3. outofbed 3
    24 February 2025 at 8:46 pm

    So as the Chinese seem to be good at bringing boats to the South pacific

    Maybe we should ask them to get us a ferry

    • Incognito 3.1
      24 February 2025 at 9:12 pm

      Yes, we can, but don’t ask for mate’s rates because that comes with a special price. Winston is on it and he’s been instructed not to say No.

    • Belladonna 3.2
      25 February 2025 at 5:31 pm

      Looks as though the Cook Islands hasn't negotiated a very good deal over ferries – one would think that China would be more generous.

      What’s far more surprising is that $3m of Cook Islands govt operating funds are set aside to help procure another vessel from China, as Newsroom international relations editor Sam Sachdeva reports. China is understood to be contributing just US$1.5m (NZ$2.6m). That means the reality of a Cooks-Chinese ‘partnership’ is taxpayers stumping up more than half the price of a $5-6m Chinese vessel.

      https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/02/19/cook-islands-is-gonna-need-a-bigger-boat-two-of-them/

    • Drowsy M. Kram 3.3
      25 February 2025 at 7:32 pm

      Maybe we should ask them [China] to get us a ferry

      We could hardly do worse than Nicky No Boats, but Winston says NO smiley