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On March 10, 2023, Xi Jinping took a public oath at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China’s capital.
photo: Xie Huanchi / Xinhua via AFP
An international relations lecturer says it is “dishonest” for New Zealand to place China in the middle of a so-called geopolitical struggle in the Pacific.
Dr Iati Iati from Victoria University of Wellington said one example was the lack of substance in claims that China was militarising the Pacific.
He said New Zealand National Security Strategy Placing Beijing within a “threat” narrative.
“There are no angels in geopolitical competition,” he said.
“But it is dishonest to paint a country as the devil, especially because Pacific island nations know that is not the case,” he said.
“So unfortunately New Zealand is caught in the middle of this tension between China on one side and the Anglo-American alliance on the other.”
Nanai Anae Dr Iati Iati from Victoria University.
photo: World University Alliance
Massey University associate professor Dr Anna Powles agreed that Pacific leaders have been calling on the region to collaborate but not undermine Pacific priorities.
However, she said there were clear examples where China had been a disruptor of security in the Pacific, particularly in the Solomon Islands.
“The core view of the Pacific Islands Forum and Pacific nations and academics is that geopolitics in general is destructive.
“The solution therefore needs to be Pacific-led,” Powles added.
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