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New Zealand defense officials warned US
on PLA¡¦s actions in Pacific: cables
AFP, WELLINGTON
New Zealand defense officials warned Washington that China¡¦s People¡¦s Liberation
Army (PLA) was fueling political instability in the Pacific, reports citing
leaked diplomatic cables said yesterday.
New Zealand raised concerns that the PLA was outspending it on aid to defense
forces in the region, particularly Fiji, Tonga and Papua New Guinea, the cables
released by the WikiLeaks Web site said.
In a 2008 cable, US diplomats said New Zealand was worried Pacific nations ¡§are
increasingly turning away from Australia and New Zealand to seek ties with
Taiwan, China, Cuba and others,¡¨ the Dominion Post newspaper reported.
Another briefing from 2006 quoted New Zealand Defense Ministry Deputy Secretary
Chris Seed as saying ¡§PLA activities in the Pacific Islands pose real security
problems for New Zealand,¡¨ the NZ Herald newspaper reported.
New Zealand, along with Australia, has traditionally seen the South Pacific as
its sphere of influence, but the cables show disquiet at China¡¦s activities as
Beijing vied with Taiwan for diplomatic influence in the region.
One US cable, dated September 2006, said New Zealand¡¦s foreign affairs
department complained that China spoke about responsible development in the
region, but ¡§practices the opposite when it comes ... to competing with Taiwan.¡¨
China¡¦s ¡§rapacious quest¡¨ for natural resources undermined good governance and
sustainable development in Pacific nations, another cable from the same year
quotes the foreign affairs department as saying.
Other cables released by WikiLeaks earlier this month showed the US and New
Zealand last year ended a near 25-year break in intelligence collaboration
sparked by Wellington¡¦s anti-nuclear stance, but kept the news secret.
The New Zealand government has a policy of not commenting on WikiLeaks releases.
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