New Zealand’s Ardern cautions against militarisation of Pacific

Prime Miner Jacinda Ardern said while New Zealand welcomes more investment in the Pacific region, it doesn’t support increased militarisation and is urging nations to be transparent about their intentions.
She was commenting after China said its Foreign Miner Wang Yi will be touring Pacific island nations later this week, including the Solomon Islands after the countries formalised a security pact in April. Ardern said the Pacific is a “contested region” and noted that the US is also seeking to engage there.
“We want cooperation in areas where we have shared concern, like climate adaptation and mitigation,” Ardern told reporters. “We want quality investment in infrastructure. We don’t want militarisation. We don’t want an escalation in tension. We want peace and stability.”
Ardern spoke to reporters after meetings in New York on the first day of a trade and tourism visit to the US. She is yet to confirm a White House meeting with President Joe Biden. A recording of the news conference was published the NZ Herald.
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Asked about China’s role in the Pacific, Ardern said it is not necessarily just its presence but “the nature of that presence and the intention around it.”
Draft versions of the agreement between China and the Solomon Islands appear to give scope for construction of a military base on the archipelago, although both countries deny this. China has said the pact covers maintenance of social order, humanitarian assance and natural disaster response.
“What we will question is whether or not some of those arrangements are even necessary,” said Ardern. “We have exing partnerships that New Zealand and Australia have offered. They remain and we will keep them on the table.”
Ahead of a potential White House meeting, Ardern reiterated that New Zealand will continue to be a strong advocate for the US joining the CPTPP trade pact. The Biden adminration has proposed an alternative 13-nation Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that includes New Zealand.
“The CPTPP is an exing framework that offers a significant amount from New Zealand’s perspective,” Ardern said. The US has “proposed an alternate framework. Our mission as a country needs to be to keep our aspirations high but also work with what’s on the table.”