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Voice of America
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
China accuses New Zealand's top spy of spreading 'false information'
China's embassy in New Zealand on Thursday accused Wellington's top spy of lying after the intelligence chief warned of security risks posed by Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific. In a speech in Wellington last week, New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service Director-General Andrew Hampton said the focus of Pacific nations on economic and transnational crime issues had opened the door for China to sign strategic deals with them that linked economic and security cooperation. "The relevant remarks are totally baseless, all fabrication, and amount to spreading false information," the Chinese Embassy in Wellington said. "For someone holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail." In recent years, Beijing has struck deals with a number of Pacific nations, worrying New Zealand, a member of the Five Eye intelligence alliance along with Britain, the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Hampton said last week that China wanted to 'create competing regional architectures, and expand its influence with Pacific Island countries,' which posed foreign interference and espionage risks. The Cook Islands, a self-governing Pacific nation in free-association with New Zealand, is at the heart of recent tensions between China and New Zealand. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown travelled to China in February, signing a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. That angered Wellington, which complained about the lack of consultation and transparency around Brown's visit. Relevant cooperation documents have been made public, the Chinese statement said, adding that there is no "secret agenda" in China's relations with the Cook Islands. China's embassy in Wellington also handles the country's diplomatic relations with the island nations of Niue and the Cook Islands.
Al Arabiya
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
China accuses New Zealand's top spy of spreading ‘false information'
China's embassy in New Zealand on Thursday accused Wellington's top spy of lying after the intelligence chief warned of security risks posed by Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific. In a speech in Wellington last week, New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service Director-General Andrew Hampton said the focus of Pacific nations on economic and transnational crime issues had opened the door for China to sign strategic deals with them that linked economic and security cooperation. 'The relevant remarks are totally baseless, all fabrication, and amount to spreading false information,' the Chinese embassy in Wellington said. 'For someone holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail.' In recent years, Beijing has struck deals with a number of Pacific nations, worrying New Zealand, a member of the Five Eye intelligence alliance along with Britain, the US, Canada, and Australia. Hampton had last week said China wanted to 'create competing regional architectures, and expand its influence with Pacific Island countries', which posed foreign interference and espionage risks. The Cook Islands, a self-governing Pacific nation in free-association with New Zealand, is at the heart of recent tensions between China and New Zealand. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown travelled to China in February, signing a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. That angered Wellington, which complained about the lack of consultation and transparency around Brown's visit. Relevant cooperation documents have been made public, the Chinese statement said, adding that there is no 'secret agenda' in China's relations with the Cook Islands. China's embassy in Wellington also handles the country's diplomatic relations with the island nations of Niue and the Cook Islands.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China claims NZ's top spy spreading 'false information'
China's embassy in New Zealand has accused Wellington's top spy of lying after the intelligence chief warned of security risks posed by Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific. In a speech in Wellington last week, New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service director-general Andrew Hampton said the focus of Pacific nations on economic and transnational crime issues had opened the door for China to sign strategic deals with them that linked economic and security co-operation. "The relevant remarks are totally baseless, all fabrication, and amount to spreading false information," the Chinese embassy in Wellington said on Wednesday. "For someone holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail." In recent years, Beijing has struck deals with a number of Pacific nations, worrying New Zealand, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance along with Britain, the US, Canada, and Australia. Hampton had last week said China wanted to "create competing regional architectures, and expand its influence with Pacific Island countries", which posed foreign interference and espionage risks. The Cook Islands, a self-governing Pacific nation in free-association with New Zealand, is at the heart of recent tensions between China and New Zealand. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown travelled to China in February, signing a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. That angered Wellington, which complained about the lack of consultation and transparency around Brown's visit. Relevant co-operation documents have been made public, the Chinese statement said, adding that there is no "secret agenda" in China's relations with the Cook Islands. China's embassy in Wellington also handles the country's diplomatic relations with the island nations of Niue and the Cook Islands.
Reuters
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
China accuses New Zealand's top spy of spreading 'false information'
BEIJING, March 13 (Reuters) - China's embassy in New Zealand on Thursday accused Wellington's top spy of "spreading false information" after the intelligence chief warned of security risks posed by Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific. In a speech in Wellington last week, New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service Director-General Andrew Hampton said the focus of Pacific nations on economic and transnational crime issues had opened the door for China to sign strategic deals with them that linked 'economic and security cooperation'. Advertisement · Scroll to continue The top spy's comments are "completely baseless, all fabrication," a statement released by the Chinese embassy in Wellington said. It urged Hampton to stop "mirroring" China with "cold war thinking and zero-sum mentality". In recent years, Beijing has struck deals with a number of Pacific nations, worrying New Zealand, a member of the Five Eye intelligence alliance along with Britain, the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Hampton had last week said China wanted to 'create competing regional architectures, and expand its influence with Pacific Island countries', which posed foreign interference and espionage risks. The Cook Islands, a self-governing Pacific nation in free-association with New Zealand, is at the heart of recent tensions between China and New Zealand. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown travelled to China in February, signing a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. That angered Wellington, which complained about the lack of consultation and transparency around Brown's visit. Relevant cooperation documents have been made public, the Chinese statement said, adding that there is no "secret agenda" in China's relations with the Cook Islands. China's embassy in Wellington also handles the country's diplomatic relations with the island nations of Niue and the Cook Islands.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Zealand's top spy warns on China's influence in the Pacific, backs Five Eyes
By Christine Chen (Reuters) - New Zealand's top spy has warned of the security risks posed by China's growing influence in the Pacific and said his agency would ramp up scrutiny of the Cook Islands after the nation deepened ties with Beijing. Security Intelligence Service Director-General Andrew Hampton said the focus of Pacific nations on economic and transnational crime issues had opened the door for China to sign strategic deals with them that linked 'economic and security cooperation'. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. China wanted to 'create competing regional architectures, and expand its influence with Pacific Island countries', posing foreign interference and espionage risks, he said in a speech to the Zealand Institute of International Affairs in Wellington late on Thursday. 'The People's Republic of China remains a complex intelligence concern in New Zealand,' he said. 'We think it's important to ensure our Pacific partners are aware of the risks too.' In recent years, Beijing has struck deals with a number of Pacific nations that it says are aimed at boosting economic development in the region. Last month, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown signed agreements with China spanning education, the economy, infrastructure, fisheries, disaster management and seabed mining. It set off alarm bells in New Zealand, with which the Cooks have constitutional ties that require the two countries to consult on security, defence and foreign policy issues. Hampton said he had travelled to the Cook Islands to share classified intelligence on foreign interference and espionage risks with Brown before the deal was signed, but will now be stepping up its scrutiny of the ties between the Cooks and Beijing. "With the Cook Islands is developing deeper relationships with other parties, this will necessitate an even stronger focus from my agency on national security risks," he said. Hampton also reaffirmed New Zealand's involvement in the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network – which also includes Britain, the U.S., Canada and Australia – despite concerns over the Trump administration's move to thaw ties with Russia. The alliance was the 'most long-standing and impactful intelligence sharing partnership in our history', he said. 'The sharing of Five Eyes intelligence insights has, without a doubt, enhanced the safety and security of New Zealand.'
