New Zealand - CIA Raises Questions Over PM Ardern’s Links With China

There is growing concern in the US that New Zealand, a member of the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence network (made up of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States), has gotten too close to China ever since leftwing parties have taken over the government.

During testimony to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a former CIA analyst, Mr. Peter Mattis, stated that Ms. Ardern had accepted money from donors with direct links to the Chinese Communist Party: “In New Zealand, both the last prime minister, Bill English, and Jacinda Ardern have denied that there’s a problem at all. I think that at some level the Five Eyes or the Four Eyes need to have a discussion about whether or not New Zealand can remain, given this problem with the political core.”

Related coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/23024-New-Zealand-PM-Adern-Turns-A-Hard-Left-With-Ban-On-Offshore-Drilling

Mr. Mattis stated that both the Oceanic members of the Five Eyes were under scrutiny: “Australia and New Zealand both face substantial problems with interference by the Chinese Communist party.”

“In both cases, the CCP [Chinese Communist party] has gotten very close to or inside the political core, if you will, of both countries. The primary difference between the two has simply been their reaction.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">US threatens New Zealand:<br>Obey US Empire or get kicked out of 5 Eyes spying alliance.<a href="https://t.co/6fV1Z9iz7z">https://t.co/6fV1Z9iz7z</a></p>&mdash; Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/1000089165738856449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

China expert Professor Anne-Marie Brady from the University of Canterbury who has been criticized by Beijing in the past for her distrust of the Communist Party, states that the intelligence community’s worry over New Zealand is nothing new: “If a proud, independent democracy like New Zealand can’t deal with Chinese political interference activities, this is a really bad sign to the rest of the world of the way things are going.”

“Other countries are worried about New Zealand, and the apparent silence on the issue from our government … New Zealand is the canary in the coal mine if we can’t deal with it, who can?”

Source:

http://politik.co.nz/en/content/foreignaffairs/1350/English-denies-China-security-breach-as-Washington-criticises-and-Peters-goes-to-Beijing-US-China-Review-Commission-Peter-Mattis-Amy-Searight-China-New-Zealand-foreign-policy-Bill-English-Winston-Peters.htm