What words can we use to describe the promo video for latest 60 Minutes piece about New Zealand? 

Hysterical? Hyperbolic? Ridiculous? 

This is just the latest nonsense form media and commentators in Western countries having a crack at New Zealand for cosying up to China. 

We’ve had Nigel Farage saying we’ve "sold our soul", a UK MP accusing us of 'sucking up to China", and Australian Sky TV host Andrew Bolt accusing us of “backstabbing". 

It’s completely ridiculous, but mostly because, from what I can see, the problem isn’t China, it’s the Five Eyes alliance.  

It’s not China ratcheting up the pressure on us. It’s our western allies.

This whole thing has been framed as if we’re kowtowing to China, but from the looks of things, our relationship with China hasn’t altered a huge amount since the days of the Key administration.

It’s our relationship with the Five Eyes countries that’s changed.

Since Trump, we’ve had increased pressure put on us to sign collective declarations on China. And the real point of that is not the human rights, it’s the political game they’re playing. And they’re cross with us that we’re not kowtowing to them.

So never mind asking ‘just what are the kiwis up to now’, because it doesn’t look like a lot’s changed here.

Australia should be asking itself what it’s up to, because pressure from that quarter is what appears to have changed.