New Zealand could join the AUKUS military partnership between the United States (US), Australia, and the United Kingdom (UK) for collaboration on emerging cyber technologies, including artificial intelligence quantum computing. However, it would continue to maintain a ban on nuclear-powered submarines.
New Zealand’s high commissioner to Australia, Dame Annette King, has acknowledged the possibility of joining the defence pact. She also reaffirmed that AUKUS didn’t affect New Zealand’s security and intelligence ties with Australia, the US, and the UK. Additionally, she welcomed the US and the UK’s increased engagement in the Indo-Pacific but rejected the possibility of New Zealand being involved in producing nuclear-powered submarines.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, King said, “We have reiterated our collective objective to deliver peace and stability in our region and the preservation of an international rules-based system.”
When questioned about New Zealand’s willingness to join the pact for collaborating on cyber technologies, the high commissioner said, “It’s been made clear to us that other countries are going to be welcome to be involved in other parts of the architecture. And cyber is one area that we’d certainly be interested in, but there’s no detail yet–so we will be looking for detail.”
Similarly, last week, Britain’s outgoing Chief of the Defence Staff, Nicholas Carter, hinted at expanding the trilateral security pact to include allies such as Japan, Canada, and New Zealand.
AUKUS was announced last month by the leaders of all three countries via video conferencing. The partnership aims to counter China’s military build-up and growing power in the Indo-Pacific region. Following the announcement, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, banned any nuclear-powered submarines acquired by Australia under the partnership from entering New Zealand’s territorial waters.
Initially, New Zealand was not invited to join the partnership due to its anti-nuclear policy and its ties with China. China is New Zealand’s biggest trading partner, and the Ardern government has been cautious not to invite China’s ire, as seen in its participation in the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance with AUKUS members and Canada.
The alliance has condemned China on several occasions, in particular for its crackdown on Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and increasing military build-up in the South China Sea. However, New Zealand has in the past warned that it objects to the use of the alliance to pressure China, and has been warier than its Western counterparts in its engagements with the Asian giant. In this light, it is unclear how New Zealand will reconcile its apparent interest in joining the AUKUS deal with its simultaneous interest in pursuing a policy of relative non-alignment regarding China.
New Zealand Could Join AUKUS For Cyber-Tech but Would Reject Nuclear Submarines
New Zealand’s high commissioner to Australia, Dame Annette King, has expressed New Zealand’s willingness to join the AUKUS defence pact for collaboration on emerging cyber technologies.
October 26, 2021
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION