The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) has warned of foreign interference and espionage in the country by groups they believe work for the intelligence arm of the Chinese communist regime.
The main targets of this interference are immigrants who may be viewed as dissidents by a foreign state. The report states that China’s intelligence agencies continued targeting ethnic Chinese communities residing in New Zealand.
On Iran, NZSIS alleged that the country engaged in societal interference, including monitoring and providing reporting on Iranian communities and dissident groups that settled within New Zealand.
“While only a few states direct such activity against New Zealand, some do so persistently and with the potential to cause significant harm to our governance structures, democracy, and social cohesion,” the report reads.
“In particular, states that engage in foreign interference are usually autocratic, repressive, or highly nationalistic,” it added.
The report did not elaborate on Russian interference in New Zealand but stated that Russia’s international disinformation campaigns impacted “the views of some New Zealanders.”
Andrew Hampton, NZSIS director-general of security, said that competition between states is becoming “more acute,” leading some states to “seek advantage through subversive and dishonest means” such as espionage and foreign interference against New Zealand.
Worries Over China’s Growing Assertiveness
NZSIS highlighted in its report that it was aware of ongoing intelligence activity linked to Beijing in New Zealand and the South Pacific region, calling it “a complex intelligence concern” for New Zealand.It warned that the international security environment is now “more challenging and less predictable” than in recent decades, with China’s “growing assertiveness” fueling strategic competition.
“PRC’s efforts to advance its political, economic, military, and security involvement in the Pacific is a major factor driving strategic competition in our home region,” the report reads, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
“PRC has significant and growing intelligence and security capabilities, and its efforts are increasing New Zealand’s exposure to the consequences of strategic competition,” it added.
The accusations leveled against China are the latest in a string of recent comments from the country’s government outlining concerns about China’s assertive behavior and destabilizing impact.
New Zealand, part of the Five Eyes intelligence and security alliance that includes Australia, Britain, Canada, and the United States, has historically taken a more conciliatory approach toward China, its biggest trading partner, but in recent months has more often raised concerns publicly about the country’s actions.
“It’s obvious New Zealand and China hold a number of different views. We don’t share a democratic tradition as we do with other partners like Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States,” Mr. Hipkins said at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs.
“Our differing positions on human rights is an area of disagreement. And in global affairs, we have voiced concerns about China’s more assertive posture on a range of issues,” he added.
Mr. Hipkins emphasized that New Zealand’s “independent” foreign policy does not equate to “neutrality,” and that his government prefers to have “open and honest engagement” with China.
“As a country, we may be small, but we are not bystanders. We chart our own course with decisions that are in our national interest,” the prime minister remarked.
