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Speaker 1: I've got a bit more China boat anks. We've got

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Speaker 1: this research ship. You will have seen. It's been approved

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Speaker 1: by the government. It's part of a neewear research project.

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Speaker 1: It's raised moderate interest here, but in Australia, of course

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Speaker 1: they got election vibes at the moment that Albanezey said

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Speaker 1: he would prefer it wasn't of Victoria's coast. The director

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Speaker 1: of New zealand Contemporary China Research Center, Jason Young, is well,

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Speaker 1: it's Jason, very good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Good morning.

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Speaker 1: So we've got two things going on. The flotilla was different.

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Speaker 1: Live firing is different. This is just a research ship.

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Speaker 1: Is this like perfectly normal and we shouldn't even be

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Speaker 1: talking about this? Or could there be something to it?

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Speaker 2: Well, I guess that's the big question, right. So it's

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Speaker 2: a research ship, it's approved, it's an international group, but

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Speaker 2: it's obviously funded by China, and so for me, it

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Speaker 2: raises the question of why people are so interested, and

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Speaker 2: it shows that there's a heightened level of strategic distrust. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: particularly in Australia, but also in New Zealand. Sort of

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Speaker 2: questioning these types of activities.

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Speaker 1: Is my assessment, right, it's heightened in Australia because of

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Speaker 1: course I've got an election campaign on Well.

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Speaker 2: I think whenever there's an election, and if China becomes

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Speaker 2: an issue in an election, then both alban EASi and

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Speaker 2: the opposition leader doesn't will be wanting to appeal to

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Speaker 2: audiences that want to show that Australia is standing up

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Speaker 2: for its interests and protecting Australia. So once it becomes

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Speaker 2: an election issue, then I think, yeah, it changes the debate.

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Speaker 1: Fascinating thing for me is we're trying to doubt out

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Speaker 1: being the largest trading partner, and we love their money

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Speaker 1: and we love selling them stuff, but we don't like

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Speaker 1: them all of a sudden and our attitude to them

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Speaker 1: has changed. How do you square that circle?

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Speaker 2: Well, I think that's perhaps a little bit over a

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Speaker 2: simplified view of New Zealand's relationship with China. I guess

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Speaker 2: it's complicated in the sense that, yes, New Zealand has

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Speaker 2: a very important trading relationship with China. China is a

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Speaker 2: very important actor, but some of the activities that it

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Speaker 2: does in the international system go against our interests. Some

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Speaker 2: of it go against our direct interests, and it's a

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Speaker 2: way New Zealand And Australia. Both need to be able

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Speaker 2: to manage those areas of difference whilst maintaining those positive

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Speaker 2: aspects of the relationship.

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Speaker 1: Jason, appreciate your expertise, Jason Young, New Zealand Contemporary China

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Speaker 1: research seems a director for more from the My Asking

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Speaker 1: Breakfast Listen live to news talks. It'd be from six

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