- Nineteen prisoners use cutlery to break out of cells at Winchester prison
- France wants progress in Ukraine before Russia returns to G7
- Italy president begins talks to seek way out of government crisis
- Italian PM expected to resign as political chaos deepens
- Russia says US cruise missile test ‘regrettable’
- Kremlin - No date set for Normandy talks on Ukraine despite Macron meeting
- Egypt court hands out 6 death sentences on terror charges
- Putin says Russian nuclear explosion poses no threat
- Russian panel eyes alleged foreign interference in protests
- Gran Canaria wildfire triggers evacuation of thousands of people
- PM Johnson calls on Germany and France to compromise on Brexit
- Sudan's ex-president Bashir arrives at corruption trial
TEHRAN, July 09 - New Zealand has agreed to buy four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes, Defence Minister Ron Mark said on Monday, strengthening surveillance capabilities as it works to counter the rise of new powers, such as China.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - New Zealand is responsible for patrol and rescue missions in an area of the Pacific Ocean bigger than Europe and plans to step up its engagement in the South Pacific, where it is losing sway over small island nations to China.
Mark said the aircraft were acquired from the United States through its foreign military sales program and would cost NZ$2.34 billion ($1.6 billion), including training costs. They would be operational in 2023.
New Zealand's military had been looking to replace its aging P-3 Orion fleet, and the upgrade pulls it in line with the capabilities of its Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partners - Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"Maintaining maritime patrol capacity is essential for new Zealand's national security and for our ability to contribute to global security efforts," Mark told reporters.
On Friday, New Zealand released a defense policy statement warning that China's rising influence in the South Pacific could undermine regional stability.
It also alluded to tension in the contested South China Sea, which Beijing largely claims as its own, in the face of competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations.
Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters said the report had drawn a complaint from China.
"The Chinese have made clear to our ambassador in Beijing their concerns about that, as their ambassador here has made her concerns known to Foreign Affairs," he told reporters.
When asked on Monday about the purchase, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said China's development did not pose a threat to anyone.
"We urge New Zealand to correctly understand China and our relations with New Zealand, redress wrong deeds and actions, and do more that is beneficial to mutual trust and co-operation between China and New Zealand," she told a regular briefing.
The Chinese embassy in Wellington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. New Zealand's foreign ministry said it had been in touch with Chinese diplomats.
"New Zealand and China have a mature and resilient relationship and are able to discuss a range of foreign policy and national security topics including where we have different views," a foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
Source: Reuters
Your Comment