Australian and New Zealand heads of state at a press conference on Feb. 28, 2020.
International experts have analyzed the Chinese Communist Party‘s attempts to split the “Five Eyes Alliance” of Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, but they analyze the chances of this as zero, as New Zealand’s foreign minister has also indicated.
Salvatore Babones, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, told the Epoch Times that the Chinese Communist Party wants to see a more isolated New Zealand. “China (the Chinese Communist Party) is very keen to split New Zealand out of the Five Eyes alliance.” Babones argued that New Zealand has been the weak link in the Five Eyes alliance, with the ruling Ardern government appearing more inclined to preserve trade ties with the Chinese Communist Party.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Five Eyes alliance was important in today’s world, saying Australia and its Five Eyes allies were free-market democracies that shared common values and interests in security and intelligence. He also said there are other countries that do not want to follow the international rules that liberal democracies adhere to.
Relations between Australia and New Zealand have been slightly strained recently, with New Zealand Trade Minister Damien O’Connor saying on Jan. 27 that Australia should follow his country’s lead and be more “respectful” in its dealings with Beijing.
Subsequently, Australian and New Zealand politicians accused O’Connor of sticking up for the Chinese Communist Party, and the Australian trade minister downplayed the incident, reiterating the strong friendship between the neighbors.
Professor James Laurenceson of the University of Technology Sydney said there was “almost zero chance” that the Chinese Communist Party would divide New Zealand from its allies. He told the Epoch Times that New Zealand, Australia and the United States are close because they share common interests and “not surprisingly, they don’t always engage with China [the Chinese Communist Party] in the same way.”
New Zealand’s new foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, also assured Australia, the United States, Canada and Britain that they would remain strong allies. In her inaugural foreign policy speech, Mahuta said she believed the key to New Zealand’s foreign policy stance was to get international relations right, and that Australia was a key part of New Zealand’s foreign affairs.
“The Australia-New Zealand relationship is vital to New Zealand’s prosperity and security.” She said, “Australia is our only formal ally and an essential partner in our international sphere of interest.”
She added that New Zealand’s relationship with the United States is integral to the country’s defense and security, while its relationships with Canada and the United Kingdom are strong and enduring, and on China, she said New Zealand seeks a “mature relationship” with more realistic expectations on both sides.
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