Geoffrey Miller: Geopolitical analyst talks to Andrew Dickens as Christopher Luxon arrives at the East Asia Summit

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon arrived in Malaysia this morning, along with other world leaders, for the start of the East Asia Summit.

US President Donald Trump will also be in attendance meaning a potential face-to-face meeting with Luxon.

Geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller told Andrew Dickens, "They do need to keep their heads down a little bit because they can't risk antagonising Donald Trump."

This weekend the US President raised Canada's tariffs by an extra 10% after being angered at an anti-tariff advertisement.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks'd be follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
A big couple of weeks of diplomacy ahead for Prime
Minister Christopher Luxon in Asia. He's going to attend two
major events. The first one the East Asian Summit known
as Asian which is being held in Malaysia. Donald Trump
will be there, and then he's off to South Korea
for APEK, where he'll be focusing on strengthening trade ties
away from tariffs and barriers, with a whole lot of

(00:37):
key world leaders. So where is the world at what
we'll be talked about. Jeffrey Miller is a geopolitical analyst
and joins us this Morning Community.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
Jeffrey, Good morning, Andrew.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Everyone's going to be seeking a word with Donald Trump.
I guess over the two summits, how likely is a
meeting with Luxon and Trump over the next week or so? O.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
Look, there's always a chance here. There's a chance that
he will get some form of meeting, whether that's a
formal bilateral meeting, I think that's the least likely end
of the spectrum or a pull aside A five or
ten minute chat, it's certainly possible. I mean, it's anything
is possible with Donald Trump, but there will be so
many leaders who will be keen to get Donald Trump's Yeah.
I don't think Christopher Luxon should in any way hang

(01:18):
his hat on that as being the objective of the trip,
because there are dozens of other leaders that he can
network with and talk to, and they're very very important.
If you look at AVIAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
the New Zealand's fourth biggest trading partner, are exports. There
are over ten billion New Zealand dollars. That's up a
third since twenty twenty one. It's absolutely huge, particularly when

(01:39):
it comes to primary products like milk, dairy obviously, and
meat and produce, apples, fruit and so forth.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Is this the real importance of both these summits that
world leaders will be looking on how to keep trade
going by ignoring America, by finding ways to keep trade
going without America.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
Yeah, I think that there is a large element of that, Andrew.
I think leaders are looking to work way find a
way forward whistle without Trump. I mean, they do need
to keep their heads down a little bit because they
can't risk antagonizing Donald Trump, because as we saw with
Canada over the weekend, they were hit by another ten
percent tariff in response to a video that they had

(02:23):
put out one of the one of the parties in
the Canadian government had put out over complaining about Donald
Trump's views on tariff. So you know, if you put
your head up above the parapet, you will get cloppard.
But you do need to find a way forward and
working with others because there are just so many players
involved at these two summits, both at the Asian summits

(02:46):
and Kwila and Poor and at the APEC summit in
South Korea. You know, there's so many players that Christopher
Luxen can talk to. I mean, when you look at
APEX you've also got Latin American countries there. You've got
the President of Mexico, claudiahe Shane Baum will be there
for example. You've got the new Japanese Prime minister issues
going to be at both of these summits this week's

(03:07):
and I attuck it. She was sworn in just last week.
So you know, there's just opportunities left, right and center
of your Christopher Luxan to meet and greet but also
do a bit more than that, and there will be
a special summit between Avian and New Zealand probably to
today or tomorrow in Kwala Lumpur commemorating fifty years of
ties between Asian and New Zealand. And those eleven members

(03:30):
now of Asian are hugely important for New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yes, and with that Canadian decision, it shows that Donald
Trump is still very much committed to using tariff's as
a weapon. So is there any real way we can
influence or change the fifteen percent tariff that we are facing.

Speaker 3 (03:49):
Look, you're going to have to hope for a bit
of luck there. There will be so many other countries
that are trying to get Donald Trump's a year. He
did sign a couple of deals overnight with Thailand, I think, Malaysia,
Cambodia on trade. So there's always a chance there that
New Zealand will have another We'll have a deal done
with Donald Trump and bring tariff down from fifteen percent

(04:09):
to ten percent, in line with Australia, but there's so
many other countries buying for a deal. I think the
real story Andrew of this week is going to be
the big meeting between Donald Trump and Jijingping, the Chinese
president in South Korea that scheduled for Thursday, that there
was some good news overnight with that. There seems to
be a preliminary deal. But Donald Trump is three ton
one hundred percent tariffs from this Saturday, and we hope

(04:32):
that there's now off, but because that would have huge
ramifications for New Zealand as well. But there does seem
to be some good news on that front. But you
know where we know with Donald Trump and with Gesiping,
I mean there's no deal until there's a deal, and
until those two leaders get together and agree, you know,
just anything could happen, and I think that will be
the story of this week.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
Jeffrey, I thank you for your time. Jeffrey Miller, are
to your political analyst.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
For more from News Talks B listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcasts on iart Radio.