New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters declared that even though they have a “good relationship” with China, New Zealand understands its aggressive actions.
New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters issued a warning that unless China’s expansion is stopped, the Pacific will become a “military zone” before meeting Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Speaking to The Guardian, Peters declared that even with having a “good relationship” with China, New Zealand is aware of its aggressive actions. He stated, “But the reality is, as the geostrategic shape of the world changes, we do not want the Pacific to become the competition grounds.”
He further stated that the Pacific is a region of peace and that New Zealand “wants to ensure it continues to be so and it does not turn into a military zone.
New Zealand has been caught up in increasing tensions this year regarding China’s behaviour in the Pacific. These include a covert agreement between the Cook Islands and China that set off a diplomatic row between the archipelago and New Zealand, as well as China’s live-drilling exercises in the Tasman Sea, which surprised Wellington and Canberra.
In addition to this, US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the resulting trade war are also unsettling the balance in the region and causing uncertainty. Peters, who is foreign affairs minister of New Zealand as well, stated, “It’s not an exaggeration – this has been the most uncertain time for the last 79 to 80 years.”
Earlier this year, New Zealand and Australian officials said China conducted live-fire exercises in international waters between the two nations with limited notice and forced commercial airlines to divert their flights.
After the live-fire drill incidents, Peters told New Zealand expressed its concerns to China’s Wang Yi to “ensure they grasped what our position was.” “If you can’t speak openly to them, its not a good relationship but we’ve got a good relationship … because we can say what we believe,” he continued.
