“In the end, we will have an Ocean of Peace agreement with at least the three countries and it will start to build out a clear message to anyone else that wants to come into the region – or frankly fire missiles into the region – that people down here like each other, they work together, and if you want to do business down here, then you’ve got to do business with us.”
Despite protests around Modi’s visit, there was clearly a warm relationship between India and New Zealand, Seymour said.
While he could say similar things about Chinese Kiwis and maybe China, “at government level, when you’re firing missiles into the sea … then it’s not so warm anymore”, he said.
“China’s years of diplomacy saying ‘We are your friends’ unravels when they pull these kinds of stunts.”
He downplayed tensions in the Government over the free trade agreement with India, saying there was also controversy ahead of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which had in reality been good for New Zealand.
“This India free trade agreement will be fantastic … we’ll look back on this and wonder what all the fuss was about.”
Seymour also forecast a positive end to the economic year, following data released last week showing the manufacturing industry surging.
“Despite what’s happened in the last 48 hours, all the incentives in the Middle East are for peace and to open up the strait [of Hormuz], and you’re seeing that Brent crude price staying low, the price at the pump is staying low. That means more cash in people’s pockets,” he said.
He also believed people had priced in the uncertainty of the economic situation and had a bigger appetite for taking risk.