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Shi Jiangtao

China’s embassy in Wellington has rejected New Zealand’s latest security assessment as the product of “foreign interference” and a “Cold War mentality”, as tension grows in a relationship already strained by geopolitical and security concerns.
The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service’s annual threat report identified China as the only country conducting espionage “at scale”.
In the Thursday report, the agency’s director general Andrew Hampton described the current threat environment as “the most challenging of recent times” and warned that “the frequency of espionage activities [is expected] to increase over the next 12 months”.
The report also alleged that China was “the most active at conducting foreign interference in New Zealand”.
The Chinese embassy said the report “once again fabricates and hypes the so-called ‘China interference’ and ‘China threat’ narratives”.
“Its false allegations against China either smear normal exchanges and cooperation as so-called espionage or interference, or are entirely groundless and fabricated out of thin air. We firmly oppose this and will never accept it.”
The embassy further suggested the report itself “may well be the result of foreign interference,” saying it coincided with “a new round of attacks, slander and smears against China orchestrated by certain forces internationally”.
It added that acting as a “pawn for anti-China forces will ultimately backfire”.


“The essence of China-New Zealand relations is mutual benefit and win-win outcomes,” the embassy emphasised, noting that bilateral trade had brought “substantial income and employment opportunities to New Zealanders” and the rise in tourism to China after Beijing launched a visa-free policy.
The embassy’s sharp rebuke on Friday marked the latest escalation between the two countries, following friction over China’s July missile test in the South Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ inflammatory remarks towards a Chinese-born lawmaker and growing security cooperation between New Zealand and the Philippines.
Peters faces domestic pressure over his late July remark in parliament, telling a Green Party member of parliament to “go back to your own country”, which triggered a formal protest from Beijing.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon condemned Peters’ comments, but the foreign minister refused to apologise as campaigning intensified ahead of the November general election.
Tensions have also been heightened over Peters’ push for a Pacific Islands Forum joint statement condemning China’s early July test-firing of a long-range ballistic missile from a submarine. But the proposal failed after some member states – including Kiribati and Nauru – refused to sign.


In a statement on August 7, the embassy described the launch as “routine military training” consistent with international law and accused New Zealand of treating the southern Pacific as its “sphere of influence”.
Beijing also objected to a June visit by four New Zealand lawmakers to Taiwan, subsequently banning them from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau for a year.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary and opposes official exchanges with it. Most countries, including New Zealand, do not recognise the self-governed island as an independent state.
Wellington has grown increasingly vocal about its unease over China’s growing footprint in the South Pacific, where Beijing has deepened security cooperation with countries including the Solomon Islands.
At the same time, New Zealand has strengthened its ties with the Philippines, elevating relations to a comprehensive partnership in July, which includes closer defence and maritime cooperation.
Despite political frictions, Ambassador Wang Xiaolong urged New Zealand businesses on Thursday to deepen their economic cooperation with their Chinese counterparts, particularly in agriculture and technology, as China prepares to host Apec 2026 in Shenzhen.
He described China-New Zealand economic ties as a “model of Asia‑Pacific regional cooperation” and invited local firms to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in November.


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China

Diplomacy

Chinese embassy hits back at espionage claims, alleges Wellington is serving as a ‘pawn for anti-China forces’


Chinese embassy hits back at espionage claims, alleges Wellington is serving as a ‘pawn for anti-China forces’.


The Philippines

New Zealand

Winston Peters

China claims New Zealand’s spy report is product of foreign interference

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chinese embassy hits back at espionage claims, alleges Wellington is serving as a ‘pawn for anti-China forces’

Chinese embassy hits back at espionage claims, alleges Wellington is serving as a ‘pawn for anti-China forces’