File photo of Chinese and New Zealand flags at Parliament buildings in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 6, 2006. Marty Melville/Getty Images
Two recent incidents involving the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in New Zealand have prompted warnings from experts, who say Pacific countries—including Australia—should stay vigilant against the regime’s influence in the region.
Chinese diplomats have unsuccessfully tried to pressure Victoria University of Wellington this month to stop a Taiwan-related event run by the university and the Australian National University’s Taiwan Studies Program, according to New Zealand media Newsroom.
Days later, on Sept. 16, the New Zealand Chinese embassy lodged a complaint about what it described as “harassment and interrogation without cause” of Chinese citizens at the airport by security officials, who compelled them to hand over electronic devices.
In response, New Zealand’s foreign ministry stated that all individuals entering or transiting through the country must comply with its laws, including national and border security regulations, which are applied without discrimination.
These points were communicated to the Chinese Embassy, a spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
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David Yeau-Tarn Lee, adjunct professor at the Graduate Institute of Development Studies of National Chengchi University, said the incidents highlight New Zealand’s growing recognition of the ambitions of the CCP after its military parade on Sept. 3.
“It’s growing closer with free democracies to uphold sovereignty and independence, demanding that all nations respect New Zealand’s laws, academic freedom, and freedom of speech,” he told The Epoch Times in Chinese.
Lee, who has also served as director of Taiwan’s Graduate Institute of National Development, noted that New Zealand has become tougher towards the CCP since President Donald Trump took office, which has encouraged free democracies to “stand against the axis of evil.”
“New Zealand has felt this posture and started to realise the serious infiltration and subversion by the CCP … They have ultimately awakened and, finally, taken a firm stand,” he said.
