Do you believe that New Zealand will need to increase strategic ties with other regional and extra-regional actors to advance its national interests? It’s also now a country with a consolidated democratic government. These diplomatic communities allow countries of the region to work through a range of political, security, economic and environmental issues.

It’s also worth mentioning that we see great benefit in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) a negotiation involving nine APEC members, which promises to be a high-quality, 21st century free trade agreement that sets the rules for the region. Catherine Putz explains the background to Kyrgyzstan’s October 2020 crisis. France and Indonesia’s ‘strategic partnership’ appears to solidify an existing bilateral relationship, which revolves around diplomatic and commercial interests. We note in particular the growth of the Chinese economy, which has now overtaken the United States as our number two trading partner. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday that authorities have found four cases of the coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, the first cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days.

Australian states and territories have restricted movement across their borders to reduce the pandemic’s spread, particularly from Victoria state which has accounted for 802 of the nation’s 888 coronavirus deaths. They include maritime security and the freedom of navigation, contributions to stabilization operations – in Afghanistan, Solomon Island, East Timor – assistance to governments in our neighbourhood, namely the Pacific Island States, and countering international terrorism and extremism.

After weeks of lockdown, New Zealand has achieved its ambitious goal of eliminating the coronavirus. The update by the Health Ministry on Friday raised India's death toll to 99,773. Like in most countries, the pandemic has devastated the tourism industry in the Philippines, which now has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia at more than 314,000, with 5,504 deaths. New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru are the main urban centers of the infections, accounting for one in every seven confirmed cases and one in every five deaths in the country.

The vast majority of migrants were quickly deported under a controversial pandemic-related policy. “We really have to be careful,” she said. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.

(AP Photo).

“We really have to be careful,” she said.

Australian authorities have concluded that New Zealand posed a low risk of COVID-19 transmission to Australia, McCormack said. We put a lot of importance on our attendance and participation at these forums. President Trump said Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, just a month before the presidential election and after having spent much of the last year largely downplaying the threat of the virus. Like in most countries, the pandemic has devastated the tourism industry in the Philippines, which now has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia at more than 314,000, with 5,504 deaths. Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events.

— Two of the most popular Philippine tourist destinations have partially reopened, drawing only a fraction of their usual huge crowds given continuing coronavirus restrictions. One of New Zealand’s leading national interests is to smooth the way for free trade in goods and services. But the opposition National Party said Ardern’s center-left government had failed New Zealanders by failing to keep the economy moving. In follow-up to this point, how has China’s increased diplomatic and military assertiveness impacted New Zealand's strategic outlook? Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. “This is the first part of it.”.

Sustainable development in Pacific island countries is another challenge, and New Zealand has worked hard over the long term alongside these countries to provide public goods, good governance and working economies. Russia’s overdependence on Chinese 5G equipment has implications for the country’s technological development and security.

Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. In the eyes of many experts, New Zealand faces an increasingly uncertain strategic outlook over the next 25 years.

Regional forums of this kind offer a chance for the countries of the Asia-Pacific to engage in confidence building measures. Given the diversity of the region, and the points of friction that emerge from time to time, but also the absence of anything that might resemble a ‘Cold War’ stand-off in the Asia-Pacific, what exists by way of multilateral regional forums (ASEAN, ARF, EAS) remains the practicable way to proceed. CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia and New Zealand on Friday announced a partial opening of their borders to travel between the neighboring countries. Is the FPDA still a relevant organization for promoting peace and stability and New Zealand’s national interests in Asia-Pacific, or is it losing its raison d’être? We see trade liberalization and flows of commerce as being more than just about our prosperity. The mountain city of Baguio, regarded as a summer hideaway for its pine trees, cool breezes and picturesque upland views, has been reopened to tourists only from its northern region, she told ABS-CBN News. But in terms of internal stability in the region, we welcome the participation of a number of countries that can play a constructive role. New Zealand has recorded only 25 coronavirus deaths in a population of five million and cases have been largely contained since late May, aside from a flare-up in Auckland last month.

Unlike President Donald Trump, who received several experimental treatments during his battle with the virus, Melania said she ‘chose to go a more natural route’ to get better. Border agents recorded the highest number of apprehensions during any September since 2006. We’ve seen the emergence of countries in Asia playing a role; Japan has been engaged with the region for a long time, but increasingly China is providing assistance. Does New Zealand view the existing Asia-Pacific security architecture – including the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM+), and East Asia Summit (EAS) – as sufficient for promoting its security interests, or does a new regional security architecture need to be developed?

We’re confident that it will, in time, demonstrate to the wider region the value of such an arrangement.

Indonesia is a large and important country, and New Zealand has long recognized that fact. She said the revival of the tourism industry is being done “very slowly, cautiously,” adding mayors and governors would have to approve the reopening of tourism spots. The relatively lightly populated Pacific island states cover a large area of the overall global surface area, which raises for these countries issues around maritime EEZ protection. The 2010 Defence White Paper states that it’s in New Zealand’s interests to play a leadership role in the South Pacific by being prepared and acting in concert with our South Pacific neighbours, now and into the future. Passengers will be able to fly to the Australian cities of Sydney and Darwin without going into quarantine from Oct. 16 if they have spent at least two weeks in parts of New Zealand that are not considered to be a COVID-19 hot spot, Transport Minister Michael McCormack said. Asia Today: Australia, New Zealand to Partially Open Borders, People walk past a screen showing the news report that President Donald Trump has tested positive for the coronavirus, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Tokyo. A spectacular pre-dawn parade on Saturday served to remind the world of North Korea’s continuing missile progress. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said 35 local tourists came on the first day of the reopening of Boracay, a central island famous for its powdery white sands, azure waters and stunning sunsets. The US role in the Asia-Pacific, especially as security guarantor in Northeast Asia, remains important from our point of view – and something generally accepted across the region. But New Zealand will continue to insist on travelers from Australia going into hotel quarantine for two weeks on arrival. New research details major disparities in how suspensions are given to Black and Hispanic students and paints a portrait of an alarming problem with school discipline in the U.S. People walk past a screen showing the news report that President Donald Trump has tested positive for the coronavirus, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Tokyo. When New Zealand would allow quarantine-free travel from Australia was a question for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, he said.

One thing we note is the tremendous growth of the middle class in Asia, and what an opportunity that creates for countries that want to lay down a framework that will integrate them into the Asia-Pacific. By Associated Press , Wire Service Content Oct. 2, 2020 In sum, we wouldn’t say that FPDA is ‘losing is raison d’être’ given the evolution of the arrangements.

The increasing diplomatic, security and economic role that China is playing in our region is a key consideration in our strategic outlook. © 2020 Diplomat Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. New Zealand has been a dialogue partner with ASEAN for a number of decades, and has been an enthusiastic participant in ASEAN derived institutions – ARF, EAS, ADMM+. But it remains an important point of contact for training and interoperability which the members of FPDA continue to find value in. Taranaki rates Asia as the most important part of the world to develop ties with, and it gives China the highest “friendliness” rating of all New Zealand regions. We see the involvement of external actors as a welcome supplement to the region’s prospects. Of Northern Ireland’s nearly 22,000 coronavirus cases, more than one-quarter have occurred in the past week. Two of the most popular Philippine tourist destinations, including the Boracay beach, have partially reopened with only a fraction of their usual crowds showing up given continuing coronavirus restrictions. Can Japan's new PM get the economy back on track in a nation facing a global pandemic, mounting debt and adverse demographics? But Narendra Modi's government is moving to crack down on campus dissent. In addition, the 2010 Defence White Paper is still relevant as a statement of the New Zealand government’s position. The ministry also reported 81,484 new cases of infection on Friday.

Its reported deaths are low for a country with nearly 1.4 billion people and more than 6.3 million cases of coronavirus infection, but experts say it may not be counting many deaths. South Pacific states are very vulnerable to even small environmental changes.