1. New Zealand Picks up on the Indo-Pacific
- Author:
- David Scott
- Publication Date:
- 03-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- Traditionally, New Zealand’s strategic focus has been on Australia and the South Pacific. As recently as 18 October, 2018, Ben King, New Zealand’s Deputy Secretary for Americas and Asia said that “the term Indo‑Pacific may not resonate in New Zealand yet.” And this despite a July 2018 Strategic Defence Policy Statement that already pinpointed New Zealand’s “Indo-Pacific partners reinforcing the rules based order” as being Australia, India, Japan and the United States. It is worth noting that the Strategic Defence Policy Statement gave lengthy details on the threat posed by China; in its Maritime Silk Road push into the Indian Ocean, its militarization of the South China Sea, and its push into the Pacific islands. Events from August 2019 to February 2020 reinforce that New Zealand is seeking out “Indo-Pacific” cooperation with these four particular “partners” (Japan, United States, India, Australia) over shared concerns about China.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Regional Cooperation, and Economy
- Political Geography:
- Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, and Indo-Pacific