New Zealand is facing the toughest national security challenges of recent times, with increasing threats of foreign interference and espionage, particularly from China, an intelligence report released yesterday showed.
There was almost certainly undetected espionage activity harming the country’s interests, and foreign states continue to target critical organizations, infrastructure and technology to steal sensitive information, New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service report said.
“Some states, including China, Russia and Iran, are willing to engage in covert or deceptive activity in order to influence discussions and decisions, or gain access to technology and information that can help them meet these goals ... New Zealand has been targeted by some of these activities,” the report said.
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China was a particularly “assertive and powerful” actor in the region and had demonstrated a willingness and capability to undertake intelligence activity that targets New Zealand’s national interests, it added.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in New Zealand said that the content of the report was entirely “unsubstantiated and groundless, saturated with ideological bias and a Cold War mentality.”
China is willing to continue to regard New Zealand as a friend and partner, but in the face of “groundless attacks,” it would, when necessary, “take firm measures to safeguard our legitimate interests,” they said.
The report, titled “New Zealand’s Security Threat Environment,” is released annually as part of a government shift to better inform New Zealanders about risks the country is facing.
New Zealand has increasingly amped up its rhetoric over the growing influence of China in the region and a rise in geopolitical tensions, and yesterday said it would spend NZ$2.7 billion (US$1.6 billion) to beef up its defense force.
New Zealand Security Intelligence Service Director-General Andrew Hampton said the threats need to be taken much more seriously than they are currently.
The report also pointed to the growing threat of violent extremism, and said the most plausible attack scenario remains a lone actor who has been radicalized online.
“Grievances and polarizing issues in the online information space are almost certainly driving support for a range of violent extremist ideologies within New Zealand,” the report said.
Meanwhile, China accused the agency yesterday of rehashing “smears and slanders.”
New Zealand’s allegations aimed to sow suspicion, “poisoning” the two countries’ relations, the Chinese embassy’s spokesperson said.
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