New Zealand’s Ardern cautions against militarization of Pacific

[superadmin]

(May 25): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said while New Zealand welcomes more investment in the Pacific region, it doesn’t support increased militarization and is urging nations to be transparent about their intentions.

She was commenting after China said its Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be touring Pacific island nations later this week, including the Solomon Islands after the countries formalized a security pact in April. Ardern said the Pacific is a “contested region” and noted that the US is also seeking to engage there.

“We want cooperation in areas where we have shared concern, like climate adaptation and mitigation,” Ardern told reporters. “We want quality investment in infrastructure. We don’t want militarization. We don’t want an escalation in tension. We want peace and stability.”

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