TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US and New Zealand held an annual Strategic Dialogue on Saturday (Aug. 31), emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Both countries expressed concern over China's actions in the South China Sea. These actions included those against Philippine vessels, per CNA.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and New Zealand Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Bede Corry met in Auckland to discuss Pacific development, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They stressed the importance of international law, including freedom of navigation and peaceful dispute resolution.
The dialogue comes amid global challenges that have prompted closer cooperation between the US and New Zealand. They aim to promote shared values like the rule of law, democracy, human rights, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.
New Zealand has traditionally been more moderate on China within the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. It has recently become more vocal about China's actions, especially after the 2022 security pact with the Solomon Islands.
Both countries emphasized the need to work with like-minded partners to address shared challenges. The US supported closer cooperation between Australia and New Zealand.
They also highlighted the importance of their relationships with Pacific Island nations. Both expressed their commitment to supporting the Pacific Islands Forum.
The US and New Zealand aim to cooperate in the Pacific on maritime issues, economic prosperity, and infrastructure. They recognize the growing interconnectedness between Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security and welcome closer cooperation between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Indo-Pacific partners.
Corry and Campbell discussed the AUKUS (Australia, the United Kingdom and the US) trilateral security partnership. New Zealand expressed interest in exploring cooperation on advanced capabilities projects under AUKUS Pillar 2.
The Pacific Islands Forum issued a communique after the dialogue supporting Taiwan's continued participation in the forum. China pressured the forum to remove the communique from its website.
