Five Eyes running rogue on remit, says New Zealand

New Zealand has told Australia and its other Five Eyes partners that it is ‘uncomfortable’ about expanding the role of the group.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. Picture: Getty Images

New Zealand has told Australia and its other Five Eyes partners the US, Canada and the UK that it is “uncomfortable” about expanding the role of the grouping beyond intelligence sharing, as Wellington tries to avoid a breakdown in its ­relationship with China.

In an acknowledgment of New Zealand’s difficult strategic environment, Foreign Minister ­Nanaia Mahuta said the Ardern government was becoming “more alert to the values that differentiate” Wellington from Beijing, citing concerns on Hong Kong, the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang and cyber attacks.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Wellingron airport on Monday. Picture: Getty Images

“It’s not getting any easier to be a small country,” she said.

The address was delivered on Monday as Foreign Minister Marise Payne and International Development and the Pacific Minister Zed Seselja prepare to visit New Zealand for three days of talks starting on Wednesday.

Less than three months ago, New Zealand Trade Minister Damien O’Connor set off a Trans-Tasman storm — widely reported in China’s state-­controlled media — after he said Australia “should follow us and show respect” to improve its relationship with President Xi Jinping’s administration.

Beijing’s wide-ranging campaign of trade coercion on Australia has been closely watched by many in government and business in New Zealand.

Ms Mahuta made multiple indirect references to Beijing’s ­actions in her speech, which explained the Ardern government’s approach to managing its ­relationship with an increasingly assertive China.

Marise Payne. Picture: Martin Ollman

In January, New Zealand upgraded its free-trade agreement with China, the world’s second-biggest economy that last week recorded its fastest rate of first-quarter growth.

Ms Mahuta warned her audience at the New Zealand China Council that economic resilience required diversification beyond the China market. “It is prudent not to put all eggs into a single basket,” she said.

She also called on Beijing to show “respect and engagement” to other countries, although she did not name Australia or any other nation directly.

“As a significant power, the way that China treats its partners is important for us,” she said.

Jason Young, director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre at Victoria University of Wellington, said the now 11-month-long trade campaign against Australia was a clear subtext in the speech.

“I think a key message was, New Zealand is watching the China-Australia relationship very closely. Obviously it has a bearing and it’s a reference point.

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Picture: Xinhua

“And it has an impact on our relationship with China,” Dr Young said.

Ms Mahuta also stressed the areas of co-operation New Zealand had in its “mature relationship” with China, including on trade and climate change.

She said New Zealand had raised many concerns “privately” with China, but noted it had made public criticisms about the political crackdown in Hong Kong and the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang. “At times we will do this in association with others that share our views, and sometimes we will act alone. In each case, we make our decisions independently, informed by our values and our own assessment of New Zealand’s interests,” she said.

After the speech, Ms Mahuta said New Zealand had pushed back on the use of joint statements by the Five Eyes’ member countries.

“We have raised with Five Eyes partners that we are uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the Five Eyes relationship,” she said. “We would much rather prefer to look for multilateral opportunities to express our interests on a number of issues.”

China’s state media has in recent months fixated on the intelligence sharing grouping, calling it an “axis of white ­supremacy”.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Australia worked closely with international partners in a range of different groupings and formats.

The issue may be discussed further this week as Senator Payne meets Prime Minister ­Jacinda Ardern, Ms Mahuta and other New Zealand ministers.