New Zealand calls on China to reduce tension in Pacific

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins urged China on Monday to reduce tensions in the Pacific region, which has become "more intense and unpredictable," and to preserve the right of access to vital trade routes.

China has been rapidly expanding its diplomatic, economic, and military presence in the Pacific region, often competing for influence with the United States and its allies.

During a statement at a summit in Auckland for New Zealand businesses in China, Hipkins stated that the way China expands its influence in the world is the "main driver" of escalating strategic competition, especially in Asia and the Pacific region.

"Our region is more tense and less secure," he said, expressing his concern about "the deterioration of the strategic environment and the increasing tensions in the Indian and Pacific oceans, especially in specific areas such as the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait."

Hipkins added that access to maritime and airspace is essential for New Zealand.

Nearly half of New Zealand's trade exchanges pass through the South China Sea, as reminded by Hipkins, who led a trade delegation to Beijing last month where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"We have direct interests in these areas, and therefore we recognize the need to manage tensions carefully and defuse them in the interest of the Pacific," he added, stating, "We expect China to play its role in this matter."

China has intensified its military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan in recent years, considering it as part of its territory and stating that it will reclaim it by force if necessary.

Beijing has multiple claims in the South China Sea and seeks to increase its influence in the South Pacific, as seen in the Solomon Islands, where it signed a wide-ranging security agreement last year.

Western allies of Wellington have long been concerned about New Zealand's perceived overreliance on China in trade.

Nevertheless, Hipkins also stated that New Zealand exporters are currently benefiting from better trade terms in other markets that are "equally important" as China after the signing of free trade agreements with Britain, the European Union, and other countries in the Pacific region that hold significant trade importance.



AFP