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The director of the FBI, Patel caused diplomatic discomfort in New Zealand, implying that the opening of the new ocean office was aimed at combating the influence of China, causing a polite rejection of Wellington and anger from Beijing.
On Thursday, Patel was in Wellington to open the first Autonomous Office of the FBI in New Zealand and meet with senior officials.
The agreement will be combined with New Zealand with the FBI missions with other states that exchange information with five eyes, which also include the UK, the USA, Canada and Australia.
The Vellington Office will provide a local mission for the FBI employees who have been working in Australia since 2017.
In statements made in the video published on Thursday the US Embassy, Patel said that the office would help to solve the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in the controversial South -Choque Ocean.
The ministers of New Zealand, who met Patel, the highest official of the Trump government, who visited New Zealand, silently rejected his accusations.
The government statement on Thursday emphasized joint efforts against such crimes as online children and smuggling of drugs, without any reference to China.
“When we talked, we never raised this problem,” said Foreign Minister Winston on Thursday.
Security Minister Judith Collins stated that it would be given to a transnational crime.
“I do not answer the release of the press of other people,” he said when the reporters noted that Patel reported in China, reports Radio New Zealand.
Trade Minister Todd McCll rejected the hint of a journalist on Friday that Wellington “celebrated” the opening of the office.
“Well, I don’t think it was noted yesterday,” he said. “I think this became an announcement and was discussed.”
Beijing condemns Patel’s comments
During a briefing on Friday, the representative of the Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pekin Go Jiakun condemned Patel’s comments.
“China believes that cooperation between countries should not aim on any third side,” he said.
“The pursuit of the so -called absolute security by creating small groups within the framework of the emblem with China does not help maintain peace and stability in Asia, the Pacific region and the world as a whole.”
New Zealand, the smallest partner in the five -hee -alkyance, was faced with pressure to correspond to the US position for China, his largest commercial partner, carefully balancing his relationship with Beijing.
Analysts said that comments from the head of the FBI can cancel these efforts, although in the past they have encountered such problems.
“In the interests of New Zealand, there will be more law enforcement agencies to solve our common problems,” said Jason Yang, associate professor of the Department of International Relations at Victoria University in Wellington.
“Perhaps not in the interests of New Zealand to say that we are doing this to compete with China.”
Anger between New Zealanders
Not everyone in New Zealand welcomed the increased presence of the FBI.
On the Internet, the new office caused the anger of New Zealanders, who posted thousands of negative comments in his vast majority for announcement on social networks sites.
The protest against the launch was scheduled for the weekend.
Jan said that it is unlikely that people who publish anger are a problem with the law enforcement agencies of the cross as a whole.
“I think that this would be more like a reflection of deep anxiety that many people in New Zealand see some political elections made in America at the moment,” he said.
The expansion of the FBI comes in the midst of new public catering in the Pacific Ocean
The Patel’s visit was held when the Trump government tried to express world anxiety for Beijing’s plans.
US Secretary of Defense Pitt Hegses stated in June that China poses a direct threat and called on the countries of the Indo-Pacific region to increase military spending to 5% of GDP.
According to Professor Jason Yang, New Zealand traditionally avoids distinguishing between individual countries when discussing regional tension.
“I am sure that the United States would like New Zealand to speak more directly and describe the challenge of China similarly to the United States,” he added.
New Zealand is a distant country with a population of 5 million people who were once considered one of the largest forces, which has little strategic significance.
But his position and influence on the conflicting South Pacific Ocean, where Beijing tried to attach smaller island countries over the past decade, increased its attractiveness in countries such as the United States.