New Zealand yesterday said it was ready to sign a new cooperation deal with NATO, as the nation rethinks security in the face of regional tensions and growing Chinese military might.
New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters said after a two-day visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels that a “partnership program” with the alliance would be agreed “in the coming months.”
Since the center-right coalition was elected in October last year, steadfastly independent New Zealand has looked to deepen military ties with “traditional” Western allies.
Photo: AP
“The coalition government has made clear the strong emphasis it places on cooperation with New Zealand’s traditional partners, and NATO is a big part of that,” Peters said.
New Zealand has had a partnership with NATO since 2012, but the new deal is expected to foster much closer strategic alignment.
Wellington is also looking at joining Australian, US and UK joint research into military use of artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons and other emerging technologies. Since World War II, New Zealand has been a part of the FiveEyes intelligence-sharing alliance with Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, but it has sometimes been an uneasy ally when it comes to military matters. Objections to nuclear weapons caused a decades-long defence pact with the US to be effectively mothballed in the 1980s.
Moreover, the nation’s dependence on trade with China — its largest commercial partner — has forced it to walk a fine diplomatic line between Beijing and Washington.
“New Zealand is playing a dangerous game,” said Geoffrey Miller, a geopolitical analyst at the Victoria University of Wellington.
Miller worries that signing a new tailored deal with NATO or joining AUKUS could be seen as a “red flag” by key trade partner China.
“At some point, China may simply snap back,” he said.
Peters is expected to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken next week.
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