{"id":684899,"date":"2022-06-04T03:19:21","date_gmt":"2022-06-04T03:19:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/?p=74882"},"modified":"2022-06-04T03:19:21","modified_gmt":"2022-06-04T03:19:21","slug":"to-meet-the-chinese-challenge-in-the-pacific-nz-needs-to-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/06\/04\/to-meet-the-chinese-challenge-in-the-pacific-nz-needs-to-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is\/","title":{"rendered":"To meet the Chinese challenge in the Pacific, NZ needs to put its money where its mouth is"},"content":{"rendered":"

ANALYSIS:<\/strong> By Alexander Gillespie<\/a>, University of Waikato<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

This week\u2019s White House meeting between NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and US President Joe Biden reflected a world undergoing rapid change. But of all the shared challenges discussed, there was one that kept appearing in the leaders\u2019 joint statement<\/a> — China in the Pacific.<\/p>\n

Tucked within the statement, with all its promises of increased co-operation and partnership, was this not-so-subtle declaration:<\/p>\n

In particular, the United States and New Zealand share a concern that the establishment of a persistent military presence in the Pacific by a state that does not share our values or security interests would fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region and pose national-security concerns to both our countries.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Unsurprisingly, this upset Chinese officials<\/a>, with a foreign ministry spokesperson accusing Ardern and Biden of trying to \u201cdeliberately hype up\u201d the issue.<\/p>\n