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New Zealand says ‘seriously concerned’ by China’s increased Pacific security presence

  • Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Wellington do not want to see developments that ‘destabilise’ the region’s security
  • He also called on Beijing to play a constructive role in de-escalating tensions in Ukraine and Gaza

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New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters. Photo: AP
Bloomberg
New Zealand is “seriously concerned” by China’s increased interest in the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.
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“China has a long-standing presence in the Pacific, but we are seriously concerned by increased engagement in Pacific security sectors,” Peters said in a speech to the New Zealand China Council on Friday in Wellington. “We do not want to see developments that destabilise the institutions and arrangements that have long underpinned our region’s security.”

New Zealand’s new centre-right government, which took office late last year, is seeking to deepen its ties with like-minded Western nations such as Australia, the US and UK amid concerns about Beijing’s growing ambitions in the Pacific. In doing so it runs the risk of antagonising China, its biggest trading partner.

New Zealand, Australia and the US were shocked when the Solomon Islands announced in early 2022 that it had signed a security agreement with Beijing. Wellington is now exploring joining Pillar 2 of the Aukus security pact between Australia, the US and UK, and has said it is also working on a new partnership with Nato.

Peters acknowledged China as a “vital economic partner” and noted the rebound in Chinese tourists and students to New Zealand now under way. But he said New Zealand will continue to share its concerns with China.

“Sometimes we do this in private, but there are also times when we communicate openly with the public and the international community about our concerns,” he said. “This is an important part of our commitment to speaking openly and transparently about the foreign policy issues and challenges that affect New Zealanders.”

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Human rights was one such issue, he said. Cyberattacks and interference efforts intended to influence, disrupt, or subvert New Zealand’s national interests was another.

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