New Zealand will forge stronger military ties with the US to counter the rising security threat posed by China in the Pacific after Wellington was accused of being “missing in action” in recent years.
Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, and President Joe Biden agreed to closer security co-operation in response to China’s increasingly aggressive stance in the Indo-Pacific. The move was seen by some analysts as “remarkable” for New Zealand, which has a history of resisting militarisation in the region.
The two countries highlighted “growing strategic competition” in the Pacific after China signed a security pact agreed with the Solomon Islands and embarked on a broader campaign to establish a region-wide agreement.