pn926. Someone's Spying on us

 Teuila Fuatau writing in E-Tangata gives this very disturbing account of spying on NZ and our Pacific neighbours. Read the article about this U.S. spy base located at Waihopai near Blenheim  and consider its implications for our supposedly independent foreign policy.

Waihopai Satellite Communications Interception Station.

pn915. NZ - China Relations: Ardern denies NZ is asleep at wheel as China pushes into Pacific

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has denied New Zealand is asleep at the wheel as China continues its push into the Pacific.

New Zealand has been a significant presence in the region for years and will continue to be one, the prime minister told Breakfast on Tuesday morning.

Ardern said Australia, New Zealand and Japan had the biggest aid and development spend in the Pacific.

"In fact, for this term, we've increased our spend in the Pacific by 45% and that's because of the climate need in the region," she said.

pn913. NZ-China Relations: Is China a Threat in the Pacific? Buchanan

  Is China a Threat in the  Pacific? 

Paul Buchanan (VUW, 36th Parallel)  talks on TV Breakfast  about China, Pacific Islands, NZ and Australian relations in the Pacific. A short, well balanced and persuasive video well worth watching. Click here. 

China already has bilateral agreements with Solomon Islands and Fiji and is seeking similar agreements with Samoa and Tonga, and could want more. Buchanan notes that we already have what China wants. Our ships visit with no restrictions and our police and troops have been employed to protect our interests and maintain order. He thinks we should engage with Pacific leaders to discuss the evolving situation.

See also pn905. Sir John Key says Work with China in Pacific— instead of trying to get rid of them.

pn905. NZ-China Relations: Sir John Key says Work with China in Pacific— instead of trying to get rid of them

Sir John Key says Work with China in Pacific— instead of trying to get rid of them

Former Prime Minister Sir John Key has called on theGovernment  to work with China on issues in the Pacific instead of trying to get rid of them. 

On Monday, Niue appeared the latest Pacific nation eager to sign a cooperation agreement with China after Samoa inked an economic and technical pact with Beijing at the weekend.  China's foreign minister Wang Yi is currently on tour in the Pacific, seeking a 10-nation deal on security and trade.

Sir John said it's a "waste of time" trying to get China out of the Pacific, and New Zealand should be working with them instead. "When I

was Prime Minister, they [China] wandered around there [Pacific] and built lots of different buildings and most of them weren't terribly good and not up to a use standard that would be beneficial for the Pacific," Key told AM co-host Melissa Chan-Green.

"So we actually tried to convince the Chinese to partner up with us and we built a water reticulation plant in the Cook Islands. So I think going off to China and saying 'hey, don't be in the Pacific' is a waste of time."