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

The Chinese embassy in Wellington has dismissed New Zealand's latest security assessment, claiming it is a product of "foreign interference" and a "Cold War mentality." This comes as tensions rise in their already strained relationship, marked by geopolitical and security concerns. The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service's annual threat report, released on Thursday, singles out China as the only country engaging in large-scale espionage.

The report's Director General, Andrew Hampton, characterized the current threat environment as the most challenging in recent times, warning that espionage activities are expected to increase over the next year. The report also alleged that China is the most active entity in conducting foreign interference in New Zealand. The Chinese embassy vehemently rejected these allegations, stating that the report "fabricates and hypes the so-called 'China interference' and 'China threat' narratives" and accused it of smearing normal exchanges and cooperation as espionage or interference.

The embassy further suggested that the report might be the result of foreign interference, coinciding with a new round of attacks, slander, and smears against China orchestrated by international anti-China forces. They emphasized that such actions would ultimately backfire, as the essence of China-New Zealand relations lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

The embassy highlighted that bilateral trade has brought significant income and employment opportunities to New Zealanders and the increase in tourism to China following Beijing's visa-free policy. This sharp rebuke marks the latest escalation in the relationship, following recent friction over Beijing's July missile test in the South Pacific, foreign minister Winston Peters' controversial remarks towards a Chinese-born lawmaker, and growing security cooperation between Wellington and Manila.

Foreign minister Peters faces domestic pressure over his inflammatory comments in July, while Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has condemned them, though the foreign minister refused to apologize as the election campaign intensifies. Tensions have also been heightened over Peters' push for a Pacific Islands Forum joint statement condemning China's ballistic missile test-firing from a submarine, which was described by Beijing as "routine military training" and accused New Zealand of treating the southern Pacific as its "sphere of influence."