New Zealand’s top military official has expressed serious concern over China’s expanding presence in the South Pacific, warning that the nation’s armed forces must be prepared for any potential contingencies, Bloomberg reports.
The statement from the unnamed top soldier comes amidst rising tensions in the region, fueled by the Solomon Islands’ security pact with Beijing in early 2022, a move that surprised New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.
While New Zealand seeks to strengthen relationships with Western allies, it treads carefully to avoid alienating China, its largest trading partner. Recent naval deployments, including the dispatch of a Renhai-class guided-missile cruiser to Vanuatu and a destroyer to Tonga, highlight New Zealand’s efforts to increase its regional presence. Further fueling concerns, China recently conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test near French Polynesia.
The government’s planned increase in defense spending underscores the growing anxieties. Current defense spending accounts for roughly 1% of GDP, a figure ministers aim to raise closer to the NATO benchmark of 2% to modernize aging equipment and strengthen ties with traditional partners.
Brooke Barrington, chief executive of the Ministry of Defence, described New Zealand’s strategic position as “sharply deteriorating,” reflecting the increasingly complex security landscape in the South Pacific.
