Peters absent during Modi's historic visit as free trade rift widens

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will be in Singapore and Japan when Indian PM Narendra Modi arrives in Auckland on 11 July for the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 40 years. Peters has publicly opposed the India Free Trade Agreement, which cleared its first parliamentary reading just before Modi's arrival. PM Luxon called the visit "historic" and downplayed Peters' absence as routine, but the timing raises questions about whether the scheduling was coincidental or managed.