In bed with China

So we have signed a pact with the devil, NZ being the first country to sign a free trade agreement with China. Because of her terrible human rights abuses (Tibet, capital punishment etc.), increasing pollution (two new coal fired power stations a week etc), flooding the world with cheap and sometimes dangerous products I had my reservations at first and certainly still have some but what is worse, isolating her or opening your borders to show the people another way to live. Change will only come from within with a raised standard of living and an increased awareness of the power of the people not from outside by forcing your will with military might as in Iraq.
We in NZ are certainly not perfect but we have an open society with influences from all around the world and we can choose the best of those ideas (not that we always do!) to weave our social fabric.
Another glorious day here except I have to go to the dentist. How worldly affairs can be brought to the ground with the sound of that damn drill!!