China New Zealand Photo:VCG

Chinese ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong reiterated in a recent interview that there will be negative consequences for the bilateral relationship if Wellington were to join AUKUS. 

Expressing significant concerns about the trilateral security pact between Australia, the US and the UK, Wang said in an interview with Radio New Zealand released on Wednesday that AUKUS entails the transfer of weapons-grade nuclear materials from a nuclear weapon state to a non-nuclear weapon state for the first time in history. "If that is allowed to happen, it will raise serious questions about the integrity of the [nuclear] Non-Proliferation Treaty regime," Wang said. 

"Inevitably, that [joining AUKUS] will have a negative impact on the [China-New Zealand] relationship," the Chinese envoy said, noting that "trust is one of the most precious but also one of the most fragile commodities. It may take years to build up; it just might take seconds to be destroyed."

"We would advise against anything that threatens to erode that very important trust between us," Wang said.

The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand has confirmed the interview content to the Global Times on Wednesday.

Since diplomatic ties were established in 1972, China and New Zealand have achieved remarkable progress in various fields of cooperation. This mutually beneficial relationship has not only brought tangible benefits to both sides but also made positive contributions to the stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region. 

"That's why China cautions against any factors that could undermine this foundation of friendly cooperation," Chen Hong, director of the New Zealand Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

New Zealand has always been able to maintain an independent foreign policy in international affairs, showing strong strategic resilience in balancing ties with major powers. However, the current New Zealand government appears to be gradually straying from this position on certain issues, Chen said. 

In the interview, the Chinese envoy called AUKUS the product of a "zero-sum Cold War mentality," while expressing the hope that New Zealand will take into account its own long-term best interests, the potential implications for regional security, and the impact on the relationship between China and New Zealand, according to the interview.

On another occasion while speaking at the Wellington-based think tank Diplosphere, the Chinese ambassador said "We don't believe in exclusive blocs or alliances targeted at other countries. As has been shown by history, rather than bringing peace and security, such blocs or alliances almost always lead to greater divisiveness, confrontation and even conflict or war," per the release from the embassy's WeChat account on Wednesday.

"AUKUS is a military bloc aimed at containing China's development. Its explicit purpose is to weaken China's influence in the Asia-Pacific region through military deterrence and technological blockades. The two core pillars of AUKUS involve the provision of nuclear-powered submarines and the sharing of advanced military technologies, both of which pose direct threats to China," Chen noted. 

"Therefore, any country that joins AUKUS will inevitably be perceived as positioning itself against China. For New Zealand, this would mean a severe impact on its comprehensive strategic partnership with China, even altering the very nature of this relationship," Chen continued. 

New Zealand has previously said it is "information-gathering" on future cooperation with the AUKUS grouping but has made no commitments, per a Reuters report on Wednesday.

The three AUKUS partners said in September that they were "in discussions with Canada, Japan and New Zealand about potential collaboration on defense technology projects," another Reuters report said. 

Chen believes that the voices calling for joining AUKUS in New Zealand stem primarily from a growing domestic push from far-right anti-China forces to "take sides", as well as external pressures from countries such as the US. 

What's more, while the New Zealand government may seek to gain access to advanced US military technologies by joining the grouping, Chen said this expectation is "quite unrealistic" - as the US maintains strict controls on technology exports and sharing, so even if New Zealand joins AUKUS, the technology it could access is likely to be highly limited.  

If Wellington were to join AUKUS, the losses would outweigh the gains - first, as a "safe haven" of the South Pacific traditionally far from international conflicts, the strategic risks will dramatically increase, second, it will inflict significant damage on trade and investment relations with China, furthermore, it will have a long-term negative impact on the stability of the Asia-Pacific region, Chen said.