Foreign Minister Winston Peters is calling out China for its "deeply concerning" and "completely unacceptable" cyber-attacks on New Zealand.
Peters was in Auckland on Friday giving a speech to the New Zealand China Council on the two countries' relationship considering the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
When China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently visited Wellington, the pair canvassed the important areas of cooperation between the two countries, he said.
"China is a vital economic partner for New Zealand, offering opportunities for trade, investment and cooperation that benefits both sides.
"We value a productive, stable and complementary trading relationship with China. China has been New Zealand’s largest trading partner since 2017," Peters said.
As well as trade, Peters said the two countries work closely on combatting climate change, agreed science priorities, tourism and education links.
Alongside these topics, Peters said he and Wang also talked at length about areas where New Zealand and China have different views such as human rights issues.
Peters said we have consistently made clear New Zealand's concerns about human rights abuses against ethnic Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, and violations of human rights in Hong Kong and Tibet. He said New Zealand will continue to call on China to uphold its obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other core treaties.
The deputy Prime Minister said China has a responsibility to encourage de-escalation and ease tensions, such as in ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Hamas.
He encouraged China to be clear it does not support Russia's unlawful war in Ukraine and urged Beijing to halt actions that help Moscow to rebuild its war-fighting capability and prolong the conflict.
"We strongly believe that in a mature relationship like ours, it is possible to discuss differences openly, respectfully and predictably. We will continue to share our concerns with China, where we have them," Peters said.
Another issue he raised was cyber-attacks that "are intended to influence, disrupt or subvert New Zealand’s national interests".
In March, Government officials announced a Chinese state-sponsored group stole data relating to New Zealand MPs in a hack on Parliament back in 2021.
The Parliamentary Counsel Office and the Parliamentary Service were targeted in the attack by the group known as Advanced Persistent Threat 40 (APT40), Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) Minister Judith Collins said. The hackers also had accessed some information from New Zealand MPs.
That announcement came just hours after the UK revealed new details about a Beijing-backed group targeting its electoral commission. The US and Australia have also said they were hit by the cyber-attack.
During Peters' speech on Friday, he said the Coalition Government "remain vigilant" to such threats.
"In recent weeks the Coalition Government has also raised examples of cyber-attacks and interference efforts that are intended to influence, disrupt, or subvert New Zealand’s national interests.
"These are deeply concerning and completely unacceptable."
Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, denied China was to blame for the cyber-attacks.
"We have firmly fought and stopped all kinds of malicious cyber activities in accordance with the law and advocated joint response from all countries through dialogue and cooperation," Wang said in March. "We have never, nor will we in the future, interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including New Zealand."
Peters' comments come after the NZ Herald revealed earlier this week New Zealand representatives on the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) were hit by a cyber-attack in 2021. They include former Labour MP Louisa Wall, ex-National MP Simon O'Connor and academic Professor Anne-Marie Brady - all three had previously represented New Zealand in IPAC.
The GCSB learned of the attack targets from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2022.
Wall and O'Connor told the Herald they were never told about the attack and have requested an independent investigation.
Despite also happening in 2021, the cyber-attack that allegedly targeted Wall and O'Connor was a separate attack by a different group.
