Stop megaphone diplomacy, China urges New Zealand after Winston Peters raises Pacific security worries
- Chinese embassy in Wellington says Beijing has no hidden agenda or military intentions in the South Pacific
- New Zealand’s foreign minister says he is seriously concerned about China’s security presence in the region
“Regarding the differences between the two sides, China is willing to continue to handle them properly with the New Zealand side through constructive dialogue, rather than engaging in ‘megaphone diplomacy’,” the Chinese embassy in Wellington said in a statement on Saturday.
China and New Zealand had different views, it said, but “the two countries have neither historical grievances nor conflicts of interest in reality, the consensus and common interests between the two sides far outweigh the differences”.
“The essential complementary nature of the interests between the two countries and the willingness for good cooperation remain the mainstream of bilateral relations,” it said.
“We do not want to see developments that destabilise the institutions and arrangements that have long underpinned our region’s security,” he said.
In its statement, the Chinese embassy said it had “no hidden agenda or military intentions in the South Pacific”.
The South China Sea was tranquil until “some with ulterior motives started to manufacture trouble”, and Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong remained China’s internal affairs.
It also said China was a major victim of cyberattacks.
Many of those issues were raised in March when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited New Zealand.
According to Wellington, the two sides discussed trade, business and security in the Pacific as well as human rights issues in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet.
During the trip, Wang described ties between the two countries as “a force for stability”.
China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume in goods reaching US$25.2 billion in 2022. The total value of goods exported to China in the year to September 2023 was US$19.3 billion, according to Statistics New Zealand.