SYDNEY (Reuters) – New Zealand has said it is “uncomfortable” with expanding the role of the five eyes, a post-war intelligence group that also includes the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada, which has recently been criticized by China.
China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner, and Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in a speech that New Zealand is looking for a predictable diplomatic relationship.
New Zealand will consider it necessary to rule on issues it disagrees with China, including developments in Hong Kong and the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang, she said in a government-funded speech to the New Zealand Council of China on Monday. .
In subsequent comments to New Zealand’s Newshub media, Mahuta said New Zealand was not in favor of invoking the Five Eyes for “sending messages on a number of issues that really exist outside the jurisdiction of the Five Eyes.” .
“We are uncomfortable extending the mission of the five eyes,” she said.
China’s foreign ministry has repeatedly criticized the Five Eyes, after all members issued a joint statement on the treatment of pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong in November.
Last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that “the five eyes have taken coordinated steps to connect with China,” after Australia and New Zealand issued a joint statement on Xinjiang.
Last year, Five Eyes discussed cooperation beyond information exchange, including critical technology, Hong Kong, supply chains and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a statement by Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in 2020.
Mahuta’s office told Reuters that it could not provide a copy of its comments on the five eyes.
Payne will travel to New Zealand on Wednesday for meetings with Mahuta and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, the first diplomatic visit between neighboring countries since borders reopened in both directions.
Canberra has recently endured a tougher relationship with Beijing than Wellington, with Australia’s trade minister unable to get a call from its Chinese counterpart as exporters have been hit by several Chinese trade sanctions.
A diplomatic dispute between China and Australia has worsened in 2020, after Canberra lobbied for an international investigation into the source of the coronavirus pandemic.
China and New Zealand updated a free trade agreement in January, when Mahuta said trade ministers had a “constructive” call.
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by Michael Perry)