Jason Walls: Newstalk ZB Political Editor on Christopher Luxon's visit to Vietnam

The Prime Minister's shifting his focus from politics to business during the final leg of his trip to Vietnam. 

Luxon is aiming to drum up as much support as possible for Kiwi businesses operating in the Vietnamese market.  

Earlier in the week, he signed a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement with Vietnam, making New Zealand just one of 10 counties to have such an agreement. 

Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls told Mike Hosking that Vietnam’s government structure is inextricably linked with the business side of things, and to get anything done on the business side, you need to get things done on the political side. 

He says the consensus within the business delegation is that the agreement will help drive business and get Kiwi businesses into the Vietnamese market.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Quick rep of the luxe and sojourn into Vietnam deals
have been signed. The dollars may well flow. Jason wolves
as whether it's Jason Morning, good morning, Mike the Tangibles.
What have we got out of it?

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, you'd have to look at this and say the
biggest thing, and I know you're going to laugh, and
it sounds pathetic, but it's a comprehensive strategic partnership with
the Vietnamese government. Now, it does sound like something that
just Sinda Ardern has thrown together. You just slap comprehensive
at the beginning of it, and hey, presto, you've got
yourself a press release. But this one is actually quite significant.
Vietnam's structure in terms of its government is very inextricably

(00:35):
linked with its business side of things. So to get
anything done on the business side, you actually have to
get things done on the political side. So this puts
us within There's only ten other countries that have this
specific agreement. And I've been talking to a few people
in the business delegation here and they actually are saying
it is going to help drive business and help get
Kiwi businesses into the market, into the Vietnamese market. Apart

(00:58):
from that, you know, it was raining MOUs yesterday and
the day before as well. So there are quite a
few of those in terms of you know, aut and
Vietnam University collaborating on computer science and AI and a
few other ones like that, but I would say that
comprehensive strategic agreement is the biggest one.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Fantastic. A lot of people who have been texting me
sort of laughing at Vietnam, and I think that's unfair
because Vietnam is a major growth economy and they've done
some Is that obvious when you wander around the place. Oh?

Speaker 2 (01:26):
Absolutely. I mean I've been to Vietnam with Ardern. I'm
now here with Christopher Luxan. It's only been two years,
and you can actually see the growth. I mean, whether
it's in Hanoi or Ho Chi Min City, every time
you come here, there is just a palpable sense of growth.
I mean, they've been growing at at least five percent
year on year for the last what was it ten
fifteen years. They've got one hundred million people here. Because

(01:49):
of this sort of communist capitalist structure, there is opportunity
for growth. And listen, they like Kiwi products, they love
the Kiwi fruit. They love the New Zealand beef and lamb,
So if we can get more of that into the market,
it's it's a win win, and I think it's absolutely
something that governments should be targeting.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Right now, I got a pop quiz for you, Jason,
you're ready for a pop quiz?

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Oh, it's one in the morning over here, mate, not
really blistrate any So.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
I'm going through the MP's expenses at the moment, and
I've found one. I'm not going to name names at
this early stage, but I found a magnum of wine.
But now answer me this question. Can you, as an
MP legitimately claim laundry on the taxpayer.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
If it costs over five hundred dollars? And I think
you can. That's if it puts it into the expenses.
I mean, if you're overseas and you've got a suit
that you need to clean for the next day, you
can put that on your credit card. I would say,
you've got it to declare it. It's got to be
over five hundred.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
Dollars because I've got to. I've got to. I've got
a cabinet minister who's running hundreds and hundreds of dollars
of laundry through So I'm just trying to work out
this is not a look, I'm just having a fun
Friday thing, but it seems like he's like he's doing
a tremendous amount of laundry.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
If it is, if it's a trade minister or foreign minister,
I would say maybe if they're overseas they need it's not.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Well, it's a domestic minister and he's in charge of portfolios.
He's in charging me, So listen to this. What am
I doing? I'm hammering? What am I hammering? Building? Building?
Close housing?

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Housing?

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Is it?

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Bishop Bishop? Oh, he's Wellington based as well, so he
has a he's close enough. Interesting, Well, we'll look. We'll
look into that one when you.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Go to bed. And I must congratulate you, Jason, thank
you for staying up and doing this live because Sammy
wanted you to pre record earlier and I said, to
make it easy on you. I said, bugger that he's
there on our dime, he stays up, and that he
turns up, and well done for doing that. So I
appreciate that very much.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
I didn't know the pre recorder was an option, but
you're welcome.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Last time he's ever on the show Jason Wall. For
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