China Warns New Zealand about Joining AUKUS!

Hey, and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. Very, very excited to be with you. I have an interesting topic that, uh, I was reading yesterday some stuff. Usually that's what I do in the afternoon, read up on what's going on. And, uh, to my surprise, because I was waiting to see if I could find any information regarding New Zealand. Why is this? It's because way back when I made a video, back then when Mahuta, back then the prime minister, I believe, when she had the meeting with Tony Blinken, was trying to push her into accepting to being part of AUKUS, and she said at that time, no, we're not interested. And I said back then, it's on the record, I'll be waiting for a few months to see how this government's gonna decide. Well, now it becomes clear that probably they're going to be sucked in into AUKUS. And this is what I'm going to be providing you with my insights and, and, and analysis about it, because it was like predicted per se that New Zealand now steps up its interest into joining AUKUS. So, well, was it pressured? We will, we will discuss all this as we move forward, but Uh, here are the question, by the way, that we need to ask, and I have them for you. Let me share them with you on the screen here, uh, because those are basic questions. One of them is, is this about security in Asia Pacific, or is it about encircling China? And the third question is, will this reshape the geopolitical and security landscape in the region? Because those are legitimate questions to ask given what's taking place right now in that part of the world. We're not talking about West Asia, Middle East. We're not talking about Africa. We're not talking about Latin America. We're talking about in that part of the world, Asia as a whole. So, and this is why it's worth asking those questions. But before I'll delve deeper into all this, let me say hi. And by the way, I do remember one name here, John Smith from New Zealand. Your, uh, your insights will be very, very important in this discussion given you are from there. So, so this is what I want to— I want to say just hi to all of you. Uh, see you later. Good to see you, Alan Tan. Good to see you, Emerson Bangora. You become a channel member. Thank you for becoming a member and welcome to our community here. So Emerson, good to see you. Uh, John Black, good to see you. John Smith from New Zealand right here. So New Zealand, yes, I will be talking about Mr. Callaway soon. Willie Holman, as always. Hamed Sidi, as always, from the UK. Hedy Lucal, here is one of our, uh, one of my avid supporters. Hedy's been there for since I started this, so, so good to see you, Hedy. Francis Tango, as always. Uh, Ron and Julie Holiday, you all remember this couple, guys. They are from, yeah, back away in New Zealand. So, so this is good to see you. Ponyo too, good to see you. All right, let's get in into our conversation here, but before I'll dig deeper, I'm gonna get into some headlines here because it's worth addressing, and I'm gonna start with the first one right here. Mr. Calloway, which by the way, I did send him an email a few months ago, uh, inviting him to the show. Haven't heard back from him. I'm sure he's busy. I, I'm— I, I don't take it personally, of course, but he's just busy. So anyway, what happened with Mr. Calloway? Well, he's celebrating his victory in the parliamentary, uh, election in Rochdale. Yeah, he won by, by about 40%. Nearly 40% of the vote in the British Parliament. Uh, and this sort of— it's a big, big deal. Why? First of all, he's a seasoned, uh, politician. He understands the ins and outs of how these things work. Uh, let me get you guys— uh, open up the link for you here. Yeah, well, what's interesting about it is that what this election means for him. And because he went after the British Labour leader Keir Starmer, and this is what he said in his victory. This is Mr. Callaway. He said, and I quote, uh, he said, you will pay a heavy price for the role you played in enabling, encouraging, and covering up the catastrophe which is currently taking place in occupied Gaza and the Gaza Strip, end of quote. Yeah, he's straightforward. So, so we're gonna see some changes now. To how far it's gonna go, I don't know yet. So, but, but it's very, very interesting to see him back in the political scene because he's a voice of reason. And, and, and I like Mr. Conway. He's a straight shooter. So I would love to one day to have an opportunity to have a conversation in an interview with him. So, uh, second one I want to share with you, second headline is this one right here. You all know what this is, right, guys? That's the ECOWAS, uh, that's the Economic Community of West African States, and that's the Nigerian president who's, by the way, been playing both sides. When he realized that, oh, ain't gonna go the way he wants it based on what the other countries, France and the West, are pressuring him Now he's changing the tone. That's a double standard in my opinion. Never trusted the guy. I have nothing against him. We all know Nigeria is a very rich country in, in natural resources, oil and so forth, but is marred by corruption to its core. And it's not just Nigeria, it's around the world. We have it right here in our own country. So to those some who argued that I kind of misrepresented the history about Africa when I talked last time, that's nonsense. Because I always tell you guys, when I do history, I only provide a brief snapshot. I have to spend hours and hours doing the history if I want to cover everything. So it was no need for this nasty comments because this very stupid. You're allowed to express yourself as long as you make sense. So in any event, here is what happened with the Echoas now. Now it looks like, in my opinion, and this is also based on the article that I read, that the countries Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where the coups took place, are now imposing their will on ECOWAS, and rightly so. And I remember on the record that I said I doubt it that ECOWAS will go and invade Niger. Why? Because you have Burkina Faso and Mali declared they will support Niger. You have even Algeria willing to send these troops. And it tells me right there, back then when I reached my— we reached my conclusion that ECOWAS is just doing the talking on behalf of its masters. So now what are they doing? No, so after 7 months of economic blockades— yeah, 7 months— the freezing of bank accounts, the closing of borders, and the threat of a military intervention ECOWAS now decided to calm down. Yeah, with the coup leaders in Niger. It tells you right there where the story is. So it wasn't about standing up for whatever. ECOWAS was doing the bidding for the West, mainly France. But now it's not working. So anyway, this is what I— that's all I have for as far as the headline. I just wanted to share this because I have to cover a lot on this topic of New Zealand. Uh, this is the Prime Minister of New Zealand, but I need to, uh, share first of all, uh, what this is all about. Well, this is the idea that China has issued now a warning to New Zealand over its interest, meaning New Zealand's interest in joining AUKUS. I found that very troubling. Why is this? It is troubling because it is the same path— now listen carefully, guys— it is the same path that I'm seeing New Zealand now embarking on, the same one Australia did. And look where Australian economy is. And I'm gonna tackle the trade between China and New Zealand to give you an idea. So in other words, New Zealand now is shooting itself in the foot. Why? Because most likely it has been pressured by the US through Australia. So this is what I'm gonna dig deeper into in this conversation. And by the way, just prepare a question or two, uh, and I'll be happy to answer this for you. So, so here is the thing. Now, the argument Australia has made is that, well, wait a minute, there is a security concerns now, they are growing in Asia and so forth. So New Zealand now is considering, uh, joining the non-nuclear pillar of AUKUS, which doesn't make any sense. There are two main reasons, uh, why it won't work. It's because AUKUS in itself is a nuclear pact. Look what we did to Australia by selling them $380 billion submarines. We forced it on them. So New Zealand won't be in a way to cherry-pick what it wants, let alone it'll challenge what New Zealand stands for— that no nukes for New Zealand whatsoever. So makes me wonder, are we gonna see some sort of demonstrations in New Zealand where New Zealanders, or Kiwis that is, will stand up to their government because the government took took, uh, took about-face per se and starting going this direction. He wasn't like this, and here is why. Australia went ahead and sent a delegation to New Zealand to brief them— that's the key word— brief them on the alliance, I mean, in AUKUS, that is, which is between, uh, US, UK, and Australia, after a meeting in Melbourne. So because they want to hash out And the talks of this conversation, or these negotiations, or meetings, whatever term you want to use, we're focused mainly on approaches to— even though they're hiding behind foreign policy, security, and defense in the Asia-Pacific, it has nothing to do with that. It's nonsense. It has to do with sucking in New Zealand into occurs the same way the US and UK did for Australia by now pushing, because it's a done deal as far as the nuclear submarines. That is what's at the heart of it. This is why I asked the question, is this about really security in Asia Pacific, or is it about encircling China? So, and here is where concerns me the most, is that New Zealand understands where China stands on this, and New Zealand also understands how much trade it does with China. And despite the concern that China has expressed, New Zealand is potentially damaging its relationship, uh, with China by joining AUKUS. That's the way I see it. So And the thing is that historically, and I'm going to tackle some of this, historically New Zealand has always had a good, if I may use the term, conciliatory sort of approach towards China because the economy. And that is why I'm like way back when I talked about this some few months ago, Mahuta, when she said no, because they were pushing into that direction. They want to stay neutral. And I said back then, we're gonna have to wait a few months to see if they're gonna be pressured. And here he is, because the change in the new government, uh, when, uh, uh, Hawkins, I believe his name, when he took over, he took— he just flipped. Well, they flipped him, basically. That's, uh, that's how they did. So, but before I move forward, I'm gonna talk about a little bit of geography for Australia— for, I'm sorry, New Zealand. And the historical aspect, because there are some things you need to know. So let me open up the link to World Atlas, because that's where I'll, uh, uh, share my maps with you, and I give credit to, uh, World Atlas for that one. So, all right, let me share the screen with you. Uh, New Zealand right there. Okay, let me close this one here. Here we go. And let me make this screen— okay, it's— there we go. Let me make the screen fuller here so you can see. So, geography of New Zealand. Well, New Zealand, as you know, is an island country, so, and one of many, many other islands that make up Oceania. That's how it is known, uh, in a, in a geo— in a geography or jargon, that is. It is located in the South Pacific Ocean to the southeast of Australia, south of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga Islands. New Zealand is geographically positioned both in the southern and eastern hemispheres of the Earth. The island country is completely under— surrounded, rather, by the Pacific Ocean. New Zealand shares maritime borders with Australia, Tonga, Fiji, and the other island countries in Oceania. That is what's important. Now, the history of it is also as important as you might even think, you know. And here is why it is important, because the human history, when it comes down to New Zealand It can be dated back between 1320 and 1350 Common Era, CE, that is, when the main settlement period started after it. So it was discovered and settled by Polynesians who developed a distinct Māori culture. That is what, uh, what's important about this one. There is a great article which I'm gonna post for you guys. It was written by, uh, Thalita Alves, and I digged back and I found this article was published in 2018, and I found some stuff in it very, very, very, very important. So, so I'm gonna share it with you, and it confirms the dates that I disclosed to you as far as the, uh, the first set of East Polynesians migrants were around the 1250 through 1380 well, well before European colonizers set— excuse me— set sights onto this stretch of the Pacific. So, well, it is fair to say that the first arrivals to New Zealand, indigenous Māori people, are said to have arrived from the East Polynesian region known as the Hawaiki. I hope I pronounced it correctly. But there is some kind of challenge to that because historians and archaeologists believe that the country's original migrants came from several locations, and this was based on DNA evidence that indicates that the first round of settlers arrived from places like Society Island and Cook Islands. So, so in Māori tradition, Kupe, or Kupe, was the first navigator to reach New Zealand's shores, and tribal narratives tell that after several challenges, battles, and memorable feats, Kupe successfully managed to fend off his enemies, to cross the Cook Strait, and arrive to the North Island uh, uh, at that time. So, and there are some pictures, I'm gonna share them with you. But there is one particular thing I need to share with you, and this has to do with the European arrival into the islands, because it's very important to understand. So now, there was a treaty at that time Uh, uh, the treaty was called Waitangi, which is a highly contentious document that still carries a lot of weight in today's time or today's politics. And briefly, what is it? It is a treaty between the both the English, or the British that is, and the Māori, because two versions, the British the English and the Māori versions stipulated different things. And here's the difference: in the British version, it mandated that the Crown would always have full control over New Zealand territories. However, the Māori version indicated that the Māori will have full sovereignty over their tribal lands. And these deviations in interpretation led to a series of conflict collectively known as the New Zealand Wars. Forceful land grabs by the British also inspired one of the world's very first examples of peaceful resistance. That's what I found very, very interesting, and I have the link to that, uh, uh, this article, and I'm going to share it with you guys in, uh, Uh, in, in the description I'll put the link for you, uh, for that one. Now there is another aspect that I need you to understand about the history of New Zealand also, and I, I had a link for that one. Let me get to that link quickly here and see if, if not, I'll, uh, I usually archive all this stuff for me and I'll, I'll provide it for you later on. Uh, yeah, the ones about British. Well, the British, uh, way back in 1830s, so, and those were the Christian mission, uh, missionaries who had now been working in New Zealand for nearly 20 years. This is part of how they pressured the, uh, the Britain Colonial Office to take action. But colonization was an expensive business, and London was not convinced of its necessity. New Zealand was not a sovereign state with centralized government, so making formal arrangement with Māori was very difficult. And here is the reason why you need to understand that, because you're going to have to look at the structure of the government in New Zealand, and I do have Uh, I did find some information that I'm gonna be sharing with you. Let me get to it quickly here because I did put one particular link to it as to how the government in New Zealand works. And, and to me it's troubling because here is the thing, one thing you need to understand about the government and the society, which is the almost talking about the constitutional framework for New Zealand. While New Zealand has a parliamentary form of government, the same way as England does, based on the British model. So of course in Britain they have the upper house, lower house, or they call it the House of Lords, the House of Commons. For us, we have the same here in the US except we call it the Senate and the House of Representatives. So in New Zealand is the same model, and legislative power is vested in the single chamber House of Representatives, called the Parliament, that is, the members of which are elected for 3-year term. So the political party or the coalition of parties that commands the majority in the House forms the government. Generally, the leader of the, uh, of the governing party becomes the prime minister. Hutton was like the party leader, he became the prime minister. So with ministers responsible for different aspects of the government form a cabinet, that's how they form their cabinet. So, so the cabinet, the way you need to understand it, is a centralized organ when it comes down to the executive power. And most legislation is initiated in the House on the basis of a decision made by the cabinet, and the parliament must then pass it by the majority. So now all this is great and all that stuff. The most concern for me personally as an observer, as an outsider, is that the British monarch, still today the formal head of state, and is represented by the Governor General appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the New Zealand government to a 5-year term. What does it all mean in a simple language? It means that New Zealand still under the authority of Britain, the same way Canada is, the same way of central countries in Central America like the Bahamas Islands, and, and Jamaica now is working on some stuff and all that. Australia also. So this is to me the, uh, problematic. So of course it's their country, they can decide whatever they want. Uh, so the Governor General has limited authority, with the office retaining some residual powers to protect the Constitution. It's not about protecting the Constitution, it's protecting the, the, the, the wealth of the monarchy. I ain't about to do that. You and I know how it is. That's not— to me, that's just a— so I found it very, very interesting, and I'm gonna share this link with you, uh, in the description. So, all right, let me get in into the analysis about really what's going on into all this. And by the way, I read an article that was written by Eva Courlette, and Eva Courlette— this article was written was published in Melbourne in Australia. So, so I like to read from different sources, not just from here in the US, which I usually don't read much here. Uh, the Western media also, I don't buy too much into it, but sometimes you got— you can read. And for me, I read and I form my own conclusion. So, so I like to give credit to Eva Corlett because that's part of what I'm gonna be, uh, challenging some of the assumptions uh, uh, she wrote about. So as I mentioned earlier, Australia is about to send delegation to New Zealand. Why? To explain to them about the second pillar of AUKUS Alliance. Because the second pillar involves— what does this— does anybody know? You guys know two pillars, right? The first and second. What does the second pillar of AUKUS involved in? If you can type in, in the chat box, uh, I'd like to know, uh, uh, your input into this one here. What does it involve? Oh, Jo— Joseph. Oh, Joseph Roy, you wrote, thank you again for your time and input. You're most welcome, man. Truly appreciate it. And thank you so much for your Super Sticker. I'm very grateful. I'm very grateful. And And I like to do this because it truly— I feel it's my duty to do so. All the knowledge that I acquired, that's time to share it with you all. So as I always say, guys, I decided not to teach at the university because I believe in this, and that's what I'm doing. So your support means a lot to me, and I am very grateful to all of you. So thank you so much, Joseph. I appreciate it. Uh, oh, Tarot Man Harris. Tarot Man has been an avid supporter. He follows me a lot on Twitter also, and also on Locals. Thank you so much, Tarot Man. Truly appreciate it, uh, and I'm very, very grateful. Much appreciated. All right, let me see your answers, guys. The Five Eyes— I'm gonna talk about Five Eyes later. Spying— no, no, no, no, no, no. The second pillar of, uh, of August. There's ones with one specific aspect which are— which New Zealand, by the way, doesn't want, doesn't believe in that. This is why the possibility of demonstrations in New Zealand could erupt if the government decides to go that route. Uh, all right, let me see if anyone mentions something about that one. For money. Uh, okay, now I'm gonna, I'm gonna go ahead. It has to do with the nuclear aspects of it. Oh, you got it, Po Yansu, you got it, you got it. It has to do with the nukes. And he— what is the constitution in New Zealand says? They want a free nuke area in their country, at least. So now they're going to be changing, assuming they agree to that one. So let me say thank you to Alim Sin again, an avid supporter from my neighbor to the north in Canada. Thank you so much, Alim Sin. Greatly appreciate your support. So then the nuclear aspect of it, and this is why I argued back then when Mahuta challenged Tony Blinken at that time by saying, no, we are not interested in joining the AUKUS. Because it was this particular aspect. That means if New Zealand agreed to AUKUS, that means it will be now be bound by the rules of what AUKUS— and who's in AUKUS? Only US, UK, and Australia. Where if you think about who really in AUKUS, just the US, and the US dictating the terms because both New Zealand and Australia are under the monarchy in the UK. That is where I am seeing where this— all this— of course New Zealand is going to make the argument, you're right, Joseph, you wrote defense or AUKUS, you're right, they're gonna make the argument this is about collective defense, security in the Asia-Pacific. Nonsense, nonsense. And you will know why as I move forward in my discussion here. So, so the idea that New Zealand now stepping up, it's interesting, joining the non-nuclear pillar of AUKUS. I don't see that happening because nuclear power is part of what AUKUS is going to be about. That is the reason why they end up, uh, uh, uh, selling Australia the nuclear submarine Virginia class, which by the way Even New Zealand now is going to be moving into upgrading its military. Well, the technology, especially when it comes out to the nuclear stuff, ain't gonna be shared with them. We will be the one controlling that. That's how it works. And to my surprise, Australia and New Zealand is like, what are they risking their economic prosperity to serve the US and UK and Australia? The AUKUS for that matter. So, and all this based on the article— this is why I'm challenging Eva Corlett on this— because it says that all this aimed at China's growing presence in the Pacific. Well, hold on a second. Who's growing its presence in, in, in the Pacific? Look what we, the United States, have in Philippines. Look what we have in South Korea. Look what we have in Japan. Look what we have and are going to have in Australia with our naval base in Perth. This is where the submarine is going to be, uh, uh, based. And you look at, of course, what are we doing in Taiwan. Then you look at what we're doing in some islands. So, and this is why the New Zealand foreign minister— I have a picture of him Peters, I believe his name, right? This guy here, uh, uh, yeah, Winston Peters, who's by the way also the Deputy Prime Minister, you know. So he and the Defense Minister, her name is Judith Collins, the one standing by his side, they traveled to Melbourne. They went to Melbourne to meet with their counterparts in Australia, Penny Wong and Richard Marles. Penny Wong is the Foreign Minister, Richard Marles is the defense secretary, uh, of Australia. And all of them, you can just see where the narrative is going, because now we see what's going on with Australian economy. I'm not talking defense, I'm not talking anything, I'm talking about the economy. And I remember last time I had a conversation with Robbie, uh, uh, uh, uh, Barwick. You know, he's someone I trust. He's there and he disclosed to us where the economy is going. The same thing I foresee now coming to, to New Zealand if they move forward, uh, into that direction. Of course, the conversation between those two countries, New Zealand and, and, and Australia, all centered around the same narrative that we've been saying— security, foreign policy, and defense, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. And that's the same argument that what's-his-name, Albo, made when he met with his counterpart— when he met with President Xi back then. And even back then, there were prominent Australians that are urging Albo to sort of adopt some activist middle power role to head off a war between US and China. They are not in position to do so. Australia is not a— they're not in position to play that honest broker. They can't. Australia surrendered its sovereignty to the US. Australia is under the rule of the monarchy in Britain. How can they play an honest broker to avoid the war between US and China. It's just nonsense. But this nonsense is what the media is feeding the masses because the arguments— that's how it goes. So, and if you only listen to what I'm going to share with you— what, uh, let me see if I can find the picture. Uh, I'm sorry, not this one. No, I don't have the one specific picture here that I found, uh, and a joint press conference. You have the Australian prime, uh, you have the Australian defense minister, okay, when he mentioned about the delegation going to New Zealand very shortly to brief New Zealanders about the second pillar of the AUKUS pact, uh, AUKUS pact, you know, his argument. And by the way, The, uh, the second, uh, pillar of AUKUS covers the sharing of advanced military technologies including quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Well, let me ask you a question. This is question for you: who's ahead in the computing or quantum computing in the world? Can anybody type in, in the chat box? Who is the country that is taking the lead, made strides into quantum computing? And I read up on that and I saw the data of it. I don't— I mean, quantum computing is not my area, but I was able to at least read up and confirm the information or the results that was announced by this country. Let me see which country you guys type in. Al-Amsin, you're absolutely correct. Kevin James. Yeah, absolutely. You guys got it. Uh, Celestine the Sky Iran— no, no, no, you mean China. China, China, uh, that is one, uh, that is, uh, having a stride into the quantum computing because they advanced so, so, so, so far, so fast and so far. We're just playing catch-up. So, so when they said about this, uh The argument that Australia is making, by the way, Australia is making the arguments on behalf of the United States. We didn't want to say it, we're pushing Australia to the front to, to do our bidding for this one. And this is why that security pact between, uh, uh, between Australia, the UK, and the US, and this is what now prompts China to really think in terms of Maybe we need to change our strategy. So they're gonna approach it in a very, very diplomatic manner with, with New Zealand, give them a chance. And if they don't, China has some options at its disposal. They really can shut down the economy of New Zealand, and I'm going to share with you as to why. So anytime they said about this nuclear technology sharing, whatever ain't gonna be any. Now, there is one key that New Zealand's gonna be playing into this. And where is that one? This one has to do with, uh, let me share a picture. Uh, where are my pictures? That has to do with this one here. What are you looking at? You're looking at the Five Eyes Alliance. Okay, and I'm not gonna go too much into— suffice it to say that the Alliance, sort of think about it as a global intelligence, is a web, because there are more than 5. Okay, does anybody know how many are there? There are more than 5, but the 5 are the main ones. So, which is a, a, a covert club, uh, that continue to redefine geopolitical landscapes. And those are the 5 English-speaking countries. That includes, of course— let me share another picture with you— that includes these countries here: Canada, US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. That's what they are. So, and what is the purpose of it? Oh, is that establishing some sort of surveillance and information sharing that continues to shape the world approach to national security. Uh, I ain't about that, you know, that's just one area. But, uh, here is what I wanted to share with you, uh, as information that some of you might not know. Uh, there are Five Eyes, but there are also the Nine Eyes, and there are the Fourteen Eyes. Yeah, don't be surprised. Only it's known the Five Eyes because those are the main one. Another word The other countries that are part of the Nine Eyes and the Fourteen Eyes— Fourteen including the Five— those are just like some subordinate. They report their information to the main Five Eyes, which mean basically the US and UK. That's, that's about it. That's how it is. So let me share with you, uh, the other, uh, countries that involves into the 5, as we say, there are 5, the main one: New Zealand, Australia, Canada, UK, and the US. Then there's the Nine Eyes. Well, the Nine Eyes Alliance includes the Five Eyes in addition to 4 other countries, and the 4 other countries are Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and Norway. Those are now the Nine Eyes. Then there is the Fourteen Eyes. In addition to this, you add other countries that includes Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. With all of them, there are 14, but we always refer to this as the Five Eyes because those are the main countries, uh, involving into all this one here. Now there is one thing I need you to understand which wasn't disclosed. I can even put the link for you guys. I am sorry, I won't because I did it one time in one of the videos and YouTube sent me an email. We— they took it down without even my consent. So I'm gonna just share the information with you, uh, but I am not gonna put the link out there. But it's not about the link and all that stuff, it's about the content of the information. Well, here is what's important for you guys to understand. It was New Zealand itself that lobbied France Yeah, regarding the Solomon Islands China pact, you all remember Solomon Islands went into an agreement with China. We didn't like it. We pushed PNG, Papua New Guinea, but France, because he has some territories there from way back, we all know what France did in, in, in, in that part of the world, New Zealand went ahead and lobbied France for And this, by the way, was revealed through some cables. Cables— this is like the communication within State Department's intelligence agencies and so forth. So, so what happened is that New Zealand lobbied France's territories in the Pacific to respond to news of a controversial security pact between China and Solomon Islands that sets off— this is what they're saying— oh my gosh, is setting off the alarms in Western capitals. Well, how about the US doing a security pact with Australia? How about the US signing a security pact with South, uh, Korea or Japan or Philippines? You know, it just, uh— and what happened, guys, is within days after, uh, this, uh, sort of, uh, uh, uh, cables went out The information was leaked. Remember, this happened a year and a half ago or so. Wasn't disclosed much, but it was during the same time when China made the deal with Solomon. This is why in the Maldives, what was the first order of business for Maldives is asked India to get out because Maldives didn't trust India because India was doing the bidding for the US behind the scenes. Even though India is not part of AUKUS, but it is part of Quad. And this is why New Zealand reached out to France to do this. So, so you look at representatives of New Zealand, Australia, and France, they met to discuss these implications for the region. Why the heck is France involved in this? I mean, look where France is. They got enough issues in their own economy. What are they worrying about Asia? Same thing for us. What are we worrying about Asia when we have our crumbling infrastructure is falling before our eyes, when our debt and national debt is skyrocketing? Uh, Americans have no idea what lies ahead financially speaking. We have nothing to back this debt for. So this is what I'm saying. Why all of a sudden France is, is, is, is involved into all this? Well, even though, uh, the information— which, by the way, I'm going to share one picture with you, uh— the information had some redacted information in it, meaning it can be disclosed. The cable suggests that New Zealand hoped that officials in French Polynesia which means the one that are serving in Polynesia on behalf of France, so including New Caledonia, okay, will take possession on the China-Solomon Island Agreement. It just shows you right there. And let me share, see if I can find— yeah, I, I do find it. Let me see if I can show it. If it will work. Let's hope it does. Yeah, right there. I know you can see it, guys, it's written small, but that's how, how, how magnified I can make it. So it's not that— it just shows you that was Uh, that was the idea of where this particular documents, uh, and if you notice the date of it right there on March 22nd, and this, that's the cable that was sent. So I wanted to just share this with you, uh, for you to be aware of this one here. And this is why, because China strike a deal with Solomon Island, all of a sudden you get now New Zealand pulled into this aspect of, uh, and this is exactly what, uh, Peters— he's the— where is his picture? Right here. The defense, uh, uh, minister, uh, the, and the deb— the, the Deputy Prime Minister and defense— not defense, the Deputy Prime Minister— what he said, and I quote, China is a country that practices something I have got a lot of time for. They practice their national interest, and that's what we are doing, end of quote. Well, that's two different stories here, mister. You know, uh, China of course didn't hold back. They responded through their— its embassy in Wellington by issuing a statement saying, and I quote, like all peace-loving countries, China has serious concerns over AUKUS. So in other words, end of quote, in other words, China is giving an opportunity for New Zealand to really think hard about this decision. The statement continues, and I quote, it is hoped that relevant countries will cherish— this is the Chinese statement— will cherish the hard-won environments for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and be prudent with their words and action, end of quote. It's spot on, but do you think those countries— I mean, Australia is gone, and New Zealand now, I'm, I'm like becoming convinced that it's going to go that route. And this is where the issue is, uh, uh, and, and even China made it clear when they stated, and I quote, whatever role New Zealand is being solicited to play in joining AUKUS, it will no doubt cast a shadow on bilateral ties and even offset what has been achieved in advancing bilateral cooperation. End of quote. What is the message of China in this statement? Is they are sending a strong message there to New Zealand that you truly do not want to ruin your economy? And here is why, because I am going to share with you, uh, something about, uh, New Zealand and Australia— and I'm sorry, and China regarding trade. So China— listen carefully, guys— China is New Zealand's largest trading partner in goods and services, you know, and second largest overall including trade in services. Since New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement, which was signed in 2008, two-way trade has increased from $10 billion New Zealand to $30 billion New Zealand. Bilateral economic and trade cooperation has expanded from trade in goods to trade in services investments, scientific and technological cooperation, digital economy, a green economy, and other fields. This is what the message of China to New Zealand is: do you really want to risk all this? And that's basically because, uh, uh, New Zealand major goods exports include the dairy product, the meat product, the wood product, and, uh, sort of, uh, uh, some starch and flours and all that stuff. Now, the services export includes tourism, education, transportation, and service— financial services. Now, what does New Zealand import from China? The key aspect, up to almost And, and listen to this, New Zealand imports from China are about $16.2 billion, comprising $15.4 billion in goods and $800 million, almost a billion, in services. So New Zealand depends a lot on China when it comes down to electronics, machinery, clothing, and furniture. So, and this is why I see that New Zealand is really running the risk by accepting what the United States and Australia is pressuring it for. So this is why now you're seeing the argument in Australia— in New Zealand, I'm sorry, that we need to sort of boost our military spending And the justification is because Pacific power struggle is intensified. So I, I, I just, uh, I don't quite get it. But again, I can only understand that the pressure that's been mounted on New Zealand, it is exactly why we are witnessing what we are witnessing when it comes down to New Zealand. So even as I said last time, few months ago when I did the, uh, even this guy, uh, Hipkins, when he was in power, you know, he wanted to approach China, but he was redirected. That's to me becomes problematic when those leaders cannot take stand. I'm like, you know, are you that weak? You couldn't say no when it matters? I, I don't quite get it. I don't understand. So, but anyway, this is where I see it going. As far as, uh, uh, uh, why Australia is sending its delegation to New Zealand is because they want to push New Zealand into accepting the, the second pillar of, uh, of AUKUS, which deal with the nuclear aspects. Which means what? Australia, uh, New Zealand will have to ratify its constitution to allow nuclear. If they do that, I don't know what the New Zealanders is going to do. So, uh, demonstrations, I don't know. Uh, John Smith, you're in New Zealand. If you would like to share your opinion as to what your, uh, uh, uh, country will do, whether they will go up into some demonstrations regarding this. So Yeah, here he is. You wrote it down, John. Protest. So most likely, uh, New Zealanders will do that because that's been their policy. I've been aware of it, that they don't want any nuclear. They don't— you hardly ever used to hear about New Zealand. Why? They mind their own business. They're living in peace, quietly. Yes, they are part of the Five Eyes and all that, but that's where it ends. But now things are changing. And makes you just wonder. And I believe if they proceed forward, they're going to be experiencing the same fate as Australia, economically speaking. Uh, and there is some hard truth about how really, uh, devastated the Australian economy is. You know, ask any Aussies. And I do get some, uh, uh, communication from inside Australia, not through here, through some other mediums. And those people that I trust and I know, I've been— I known them for a while now, uh, they ain't gonna be just telling me stories, you know. And I do check my— I know where to check my stuff. And they're telling me that things are getting so bad in Australia. And if you go back few, few months, few— a year and a half or two, all started when Australia took this hawkish stand against China unjustly. And justly, why? Because we were pressuring Australia. And again, that's where it tells you where a country does not have its sovereignty. When a country like what you see now in Europe with Germany, with France, with Italy, Spain, you name it, you got the idea, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, all of them, the whole Europe for that matter. Even now I'm starting to question about Hungary. I thought that Hungary will take stand, and if you want to get off of the EU, get out of it. But again, it's their decision. All I'm saying is, is, is when leadership is tested in situations like this, that's when it matters. So yeah, you're gonna have some hardships economically at the beginning, but it's not the end of it. Because you do have some other options. There are options out there. And you think about all this— is all this has to do with China? Maybe not. What about ASEAN? What about the economy of ASEAN, where it's going as far as its growth? Could it be that this is pushed by the EU and NATO and all that stuff because they want to maintain that dominance? There is a possibility to that. One thing is sure It's just— it is the geopolitical landscape is shifting. The world is changing, and we need to change with it. That era of dominance, that era of dictating the terms, it's over. Some of us in Washington are living in denial. The world has already shifted. It changed. So now what's going to become is, uh, uh, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. It's, it's— I've seen it now with how quickly things turned upside down for Australia. I've seen quickly how things are turning now upside down for Philippines. It's already turned over for South Korea. I'm sure you heard about the demonstrations of the doctor's trainees in Australia that are pro— in, in South Korea that are protesting. All this in Japan, all this is an indication of now when the major power is going down, it has to drag with it others. And that's problematic. And this is where I see the big mistake, the big mistake New Zealand is making strategically here. You know, I'm not talking about next month, I'm not talking about next year. I'm talking about the next 10, 15, 20 years. Like I said, the world has already shifted, the global geopolitical landscape has already shifted. Now it's going to become the direction— where is the new trajectory that is going to go? And New Zealand will have to decide which direction he wants to go. I'm not saying that they should cut off their ties with the US or Australia or China. No, no, no, no, no, no. It's just a matter of understanding how to balance that out. But to take yourself into, uh, or, or to dig your own grave, that just doesn't make sense to me, politically speaking. So, so this is what I see, uh, the problem, uh, moving forward. Oh, let me see this one here. Nuradin Musa, you're doing an excellent job, Doc. Thank you very much, truly appreciate it. So, all right guys, let me take a question or two. Before I'll do this, I made the decision that I am going to have the community live stream tonight at 1900 hours. So that was because I promised you, uh, the decision will be made by noon, and this is when I'm gonna be doing that one. It's already posted, and I can, uh, I don't know what it is, I can share it with you. Uh, and again, remember, it's going to be just a conversation, no geopolitics. So, uh, just— I'm, I'm going to be preparing some, some ideas to share with you on all that this afternoon and organize all this, and we just go from there. And let me show you— share with you, rather— the link to that live. Then, uh, we'll do it tonight at 1900 hours. So here is the link. I'm gonna put it in the, in the chat box here for you guys. That's for those, but it's already posted, so I will be doing that one at 1900 hours. So, uh, also I want to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to those who've been supporting the channel. Uh, TC Kwan just, just bought me coffees in both locations for both. The first one is for the channel, support for the channel. The second one is for my Asia trip. Uh, AC Quan, Drag88, uh, Osiris, that is, and, and many others that have, uh, bought me tea and coffee. And, uh, there are also some who did the PayPal. Uh, let me see the last person here, uh, that was donated to PayPal. Uh, Dongmei too, uh, but, uh, sort of supported the channel through PayPal. I'm, I'm very, very grateful to all of you guys. And if you feel comfortable enough to support the channel here, those are the links where you can share, uh, uh, your support should you decide to do so. And I'm very thankful. All right, let me see your, uh, answer, or your question rather. Uh, let me put the link to PayPal also, and I'm gonna go ahead and take one question or two from, uh, if you can just please put Q so I know it's a, it's a question and just go from there. All right, and once again, thank you to those who got me a, a super sticker. I'm, I'm very, very grateful. Uh, okay, uh, Athen Wu, I do see one here. David, what else can New Zealand do? As we know, all the so-called allies of the US are only US colonies in reality. US is not only world hegemony in name, it is is not only it has strong control over the allies. That is true, uh, the control stems from the idea of having the ability for us to dictate who we need to have in power and who— which to me problematic. Who are we to dictate to this country? They can choose whomever they want. Even the system, they can choose whatever they want. But yeah, New Zealand— while New Zealand is small, you know, it's not a very, very influential country, per se. Uh, playing the Five Eyes is part of just keeping it in the club per se. But even the Five Eyes, it's only the US and UK that matter in all this. Canada, it's, it's another useless, uh, Australia, it's New Zealand is the same. So, so yeah, the US is the, is the control of the military presence in those countries. But again, the governments are allowing this one. So what New Zealand can do? Well, they can take stand if that is what they want, but to do that, turn it over to the people and, and ask what the people want. To me, that's what a, a referendum in a democracy is. We don't even have that here in our own country. So do referendum and let people decide what they want. That's the way I see it. Uh, Uh, fight back. I, I quite don't understand this question. I only see wars. Which way are you looking, Doctor? Uh, I'm, I'm not— I'm not— the question is not clear to me, so I don't want to assume that I understood it. If you can reword it, that would be great, and I'll be happy to take a look at it. So, all right, let me see. Uh, Army with Harmony, another avid supporter of the channel, thank you so much. Uh, question, Dr. O, in your opinion, if Congress and Biden stopped sending funding weapons, would the US economy improve? Is it too late? Uh, no, no, it's not too late because you have to have a fiscal discipline. We are not fiscally disciplined into all this. Because if you stop the sending the funding, which means you're going to have to cut down the defense spending. Cutting down the defense spending will allow you to allocate more, uh, more funds for others, other projects or other whatever. But you don't want to do that. What you want to do is you want to pay off your debt. I mean, $34 trillion in debt, that has to be paid off one way or another. Uh, I have one link here. I'll show it to you. Uh, Fat Fingers shared it with me on my Twitter feed, uh, and, and it shows you just the sizable, uh, spending for our country and, and, uh, will give you an idea. So hey, take a look, guys. I'm going to share this picture with you here. Yeah, look at that. So when you look at this, you look at— for the US is $860 billion, and the rest of the other countries, you know, wouldn't even come close. None of them even close to 100, except now China is moving into that direction, and that's about it. I mean, what for? Why are we having all this for? So yeah, if we start with that one, that could change the equation for us as far as, uh, uh, dealing with our national debts. But I don't see— our Congress, uh, our system is, is, is done for. Let me just say it straightforward. So, all right, one more question. I'll take question from Joseph Roy. One last question here. Question: many believe that if there is an issue with BRICS, it will be India. I have a feeling that Iran may possibly be attempting to pull the wool over Russia's eyes. What is your thoughts? Uh, I concur with the first part, but the second part, I have to understand exactly what are you referring to. If Iran may possibly be attempting to pull the wool over Russia's eyes For what? That will be the key. If I know exactly which area you are thinking about, then I will be able to answer that one, given that I wrote books on each country. So I kind of very familiar with their political thinking and strategic thinking, that is, regarding the dynamics. But the first part, I do agree with you, it's because there is that issue of, of India that needs to decide. Here is India in BRICS but also India in QUADS. I understand about strategic interest, I understand all this, but at some point, this is one— what New Zealand now is finding itself at the thick of it. We know Australia is gone, we know New, uh, uh, South Korea is gone, Japan is gone, uh, uh, Philippines is gone, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Finland— you got the idea. Those countries are gone. You know, but it becomes a country like in New Zealand now while it's still time to make a decision. Because if I am to compare this to Germany now, Germany, it's too late for Germany. Germany's economy is sinking. They're gonna go into recession, mark my word on it. They might not even announce it, but I, I have family lives in Germany. I talk to people in Germany. So the economy is shutting down by design because we pushed it. Same thing I see for New Zealand. As to Iran pulling over, uh, for, for Russia, I don't see that because there is a strong cooperation between Russia and Iran, especially now militarily. So I don't see what would be the objective of Iran to do so. All right guys, I hope you find this very informative, and I look forward to seeing you at 1900 hours tonight for our community conversation. Uh, at the same time, I'm grateful for your support, and I appreciate your, your sort of, uh, dedication, if I may use the term, because there's some avid supporters of you, and I'm very grateful for that. Please make sure to hit the like button and share this video with others so we can raise awareness, that is, around the world. As always, remember, geopolitics impact your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, guys. Bye-bye.