China’s embassy in Wellington has slammed NZ’s top intelligence official, accusing him of spreading false information after he warned about Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific.
Andrew Hampton, the director-general of the Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), had cautioned that China’s strategic deals with Pacific nations posed security risks, sparking a sharp rebuke from Beijing, which dismissed the claims as baseless.
“The relevant remarks are totally baseless, all fabrication, and amount to spreading false information,” the Chinese embassy said.
“For someone holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
Tensions have escalated following the Cook Islands’ recent partnership agreement with China, which New Zealand viewed as lacking transparency.
Despite Wellington’s concerns, China insists that its regional engagements “have no hidden agenda”.
The NZ govt really should learn to stop playing the US lackey. The US is screwed, its a fading power, China and BRICS, are the future. New Zealand can have no material influence on China’s actions but its actions, in turn, can disrupt trade and good will, that we need a LOT more than they do.
I just got back from China and they are developing diary, that’s not as good as ours but its not awful either. Knowing them as I do, give it a few years and they will be doing just as well as us.
For example, I stopped by a boutique food and beer bar in an upmarket part of Shenzhen and let me tell you, the beef burger was better than anything I’ve had here and the beer was superior, too. Go back a few years and the beer was mediocre as was the beef.
so we should be a china lackey instead ?
Why does New Zealand have to be “anybody’s” lackey? How moreover, does not playing the US’s stooge, automatically s make us China’s?
It would make more sense for us to remain neutral and simply undertake exchanges that work for us as a “sovereign nation” (when was the last time we heard that term. We need to hear it a LOT more). We don’t have the size or the clout to make a material difference to the actions of major powers, so we should stay out of their affairs.
Not sure why National party supporters, in my experience, seem to have such an issue with this, in particular? Its almost a knee jerk reaction to say we are somebody else’s lackey, if not the USA’s.
Little rat.
Give Him a job at Waihopai
Might be able to keep Nicky Hagar out