China Contacting New Zealand... Australian Prime Minister Morrison Says "Divide and Conquer Will Not Succeed"

Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] Australian authorities recently criticized China, which is closely aligning with New Zealand, in a tone suggesting it is 'sowing discord.'

On the 31st, according to major foreign media, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern held a joint press conference in Queenstown, New Zealand. At this event, they emphasized that the two countries are acting in unison without any disagreements on issues such as trade disputes with China, human rights, and the origin of COVID-19.

This is interpreted as an awareness of concerns that relations might have soured due to the two countries showing contrasting attitudes toward China recently. Bilateral relations deteriorated after Australia banned Huawei's participation in its 5G network in 2018, and China responded with various import restrictions. In this context, New Zealand did not join the joint statement expressing concern over the World Health Organization (WHO) investigation results on the origin of COVID-19.

Within Australia, voices criticizing New Zealand's pro-China stance have grown louder. The Chinese state-run Global Times published an opinion piece stating, “Australia is pressuring New Zealand to follow the United States' will,” portraying New Zealand's diplomatic approach as rational.

In response, Prime Minister Morrison asserted, “There is clearly an intention to weaken the security of Australia and New Zealand through nonexistent differences,” adding, “The schemes of those trying to sow discord between the two countries from afar will not succeed.” Prime Minister Ardern also responded to questions about pursuing a close relationship with China by confirming, “We have confirmed that there are no disagreements between Australia and New Zealand on trade, human rights, and other issues.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.