New Zealand Beefs with Kiribati as China Looks On

Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau listens during a signing ceremony for a Millennium Challenge Corporation Challenge investment at the U.S. Department of State on September 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. Brendan Smialowski / AFP

New Zealand will review all its development aid to the Pacific island of Kiribati, following the cancellation of a meeting between its Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Kiribati’s President Taneti Maamau. Peters said the cancellation – about a week before the scheduled meeting – reflects a larger lack of engagement.

Kiribati switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China in 2019 and has since drawn closer to Beijing. China upgraded an airstrip on the island of Kanton, and the two countries have a joint policing deal, both of which raised anxiety in Western capitals. The U.S. increased cooperation with the atoll nation to counter Chinese influence.

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by CGSP Staff

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