China warns NZ not to 'harm security interests’ over AUKUS
China’s Defence Ministry spokesman warns NZ against going down a ‘dangerous path’ after Australian defence officials briefed their counterparts on the defence pact.
China has warned New Zealand not to “harm its own security interests,” after Wellington confirmed it had received a briefing on the defence technology pact from Australian defence officials.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, China Defence Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said AUKUS was established for “selfish geopolitical interests” that “undermined the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and triggered arms races” in the region.
The remarks are the second time Beijing has sent a warning to Wellington over the trilateral pact since Christopher Luxon’s National Party formed a coalition government in November.
It came after NZ Ministry of Defence deputy secretary Anton Youngman confirmed to local media that Australian officials had recently visited Wellington to brief their counterparts on Pillar Two of AUKUS.
“This was a background briefing for information only and not intended to address the issue of New Zealand joining Pillar Two.
“Officials will continue regular engagement with the Aukus partners, as we build our understanding of Pillar Two,” Ms Youngman said.
However Mr Zhang said Wellington was going down a “dangerous path,” and could destabilise the Indo-Pacific region if it pursued membership of AUKUS.
“We urge the parties … to refrain from going further and further down the wrong and dangerous path, and refrain from sabotaging international and regional peace and stability to the detriment of their own security interests,” Mr Zhang said.
Earlier this month, after Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed his officials would travel to Wellington, Beijing warned New Zealand it was going down a “dangerous path” by considering joining the pact.
Urging Wellington to avoid the “Cold War mentality of the AUKUS partners, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Australia, the US and the UK were engaged in an “arms race”.
“The three countries, for their own geopolitical interests, have totally disregarded the concerns of the international community and gone further down the wrong and dangerous path,” Mr Wang said.
New Zealand has become more open to joining AUKUS under Mr Luxon’s government, with all three members of the governing coalition in favour of strengthening defence and intelligence ties with AUKUS countries.
Labour under Jacinda Ardern and successor Chris Hipkins has resisted upsetting Beijing and potentially harming relations with its largest trading partner. The Labour party remains “unconvinced” that joining Pillar Two would give any more benefits than NZ currently enjoys as part of Five Eyes.
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