In response to accusations that she was “demonizing” China by criticizing Beijing’s growing influence in the South Pacific, Jacinda Ardern has hit back.
The area should be “free from coercion” and “militarization,” the Prime Minister of New Zealand said in an interview with The Project on Tuesday.
Chinese state media criticized the New Zealand leader last week for a joint statement she and US President Joe Biden wrote in which they stated that both countries had worries about China’s national security.
Speaking for the Communist Party, they claimed she was “smearing and demonizing” China.
But Ms Ardern said she has taken the same stance for China as for the rest of the EU and elsewhere, insisting all she wants is what is best for the Pacific.
‘The only point we are making is for all of the engagement that we see, whether it be China or be it France or be it from the UK or EU generally, we actually take a country neutral response on engagement,’ she said.
‘We ask for the same thing though and that same thing is to make sure the priorities are Pacific based and that it is free from coersion, and we have high quality investment in our region and we see that collaborative working.
‘When it comes to issues around militarisation, of course that is not something our region wants, but we would say that and have being saying that to all and any partner in our part of the world,’ she said.
China in April signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands which could open the door to a Chinese naval base.
The move raised tensions in the region with Australian and New Zealand alarmed by the authoritarian nation’s ambitions in the region.
In May, Chinese authorities also made an attempt to enlist 10 more countries in the South Pacific by offering them similar development projects in exchange for their huge money.
But discussions ultimately failed.
While expressing worries over China’s Solomon Islands accord, Ms. Ardern and President Joe Biden released a joint statement on her visit to the US that reaffirmed the strategic connection between the US and New Zealand.
The statement took aim at a potential persistent military presence in the Pacific, warning 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.’
The Prime Minister’s remarks drew criticism from the Chinese embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, who called them “misguided” and “not beneficial for strengthening mutual confidence.”
They described Ardern’s remark as “wrong” and “regrettable” in a statement.
Ardern was recently asked to attend the leaders’ summit of NATO in Madrid together with the leaders of the Asia Pacific Four, Australia, Japan, and South Korea, despite the fact that New Zealand is not a member of the alliance.
In a speech to the summit, Ardern said: ‘China has in recent times become more assertive and more willing to challenge international rules and more.’