Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta is currently rubbing elbows with major Indo-Pacific leaders, but there's more to this diplomatic mission than meets the eye.
As the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine passes us by, all eyes are on China, with mounting pressure for the Asia superpower to choose a side.
While the Foreign Minister claims that the goal of her trip is to strengthen ties with Indo-Pacific nations, Geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller of the Democracy Project suspects that there's a hidden agenda at play.
"I think we're going to be told outwardly it's all about trade," said Miller.
"Behind the scenes, a lot of high-level talks will be going on about how to handle China at the moment."
The situation is rapidly escalating, and New Zealand may soon find itself in the crosshairs if China decides to throw its weight behind Russia.
Whispers are circulating that Beijing is considering sending drones and ammunition to the front lines of the Ukrainian conflict, which could have severe and far-reaching consequences.
Miller said if this happens, we could be looking at a potential diplomatic minefield.
"We've got a sanctions regime in place now - the Russia sanctions act, that has a provision for secondary sanctions for countries that help Russia," said Miller.
"So we could end up putting sanctions on China."
Listen to the full interview between geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller and Trudi Nelson, filling in for Rachel Smalley above.
You can also download the full interview on the First Light podcast, and listen on the go. Download the rova app on apple or android to listen to this podcast on the go, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.
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