Fewer New Zealanders view China as a threat than last year, survey shows

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WELLINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - The number of New Zealanders who see China as a threat fell over the past year, although only 30% of those surveyed viewed the country as friendly towards New Zealand, according to a survey released on Wednesday by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

The survey, which the foundation has conducted annually for 26 years, found 37% of the New Zealanders surveyed consider China to be a threat, down from 58% in a mini-poll done in 2022.

New Zealand, part of the Five Eyes Alliance - an intelligence partnership that includes Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States - has historically been more conciliatory towards its biggest trading partner, but it has grown increasingly critical of Chinese diplomatic efforts in Pacific Island nations since Beijing and the Solomon Islands signed a security pact.

The United States and its allies are seeking to deter other Pacific Island nations from forming security ties with China, a rising concern amid tension over Taiwan and trade.

"New Zealanders are alert to geopolitical developments in Asia, with many New Zealanders concerned about the possibility of great-power conflict over Taiwan," said Asia New Zealand Foundation Executive Director Simon Draper.

Asia New Zealand surveyed New Zealanders about the situation in Taiwan for the first time this year and found that nearly two-thirds of them were at least "fairly concerned" about the possibility of conflict over the island.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Taiwan strongly objects to China's claims and says only its people can decide their future.

Last year's poll was taken after China's then Foreign Minister Wang Yi - now Beijing's top diplomat - had visited the Solomon Islands.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is leading a trade mission to China later this week. His visit comes after a rare visit to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken where China and the United States agreed to stabilize their intense rivalry.