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Significance
The statement commits the Labour-led coalition government at least to maintain, and possibly increase, New Zealand’s military capacity in response to the changing political and strategic environment. It also emphasises left-friendly and Green-friendly issues including climate change. However, the DSPS has drawn some rebuke from China.
Impacts
Competition between Beijing and Wellington for strategic influence in the Pacific will grow, but Beijing has greater resources to utilise.
Australia will welcome Wellington's increased defence spending, including, like Canberra, on surveillance planes.
Spending more on defence could limit Wellington’s ability to pay for its social and “wellbeing economics” agendas.
Keywords:
New Zealand,
AP,
ASEAN,
Australia,
China,
Pacific,
United States,
politics,
defence,
fiscal,
military,
party,
international relations,
social,
natural disasters,
refugees,
technology,
telecommunications,
terrorism
© Oxford Analytica 2020. All rights reserved. This content contains general information about geopolitical, macroeconomic and social developments or (where stated) other matters. It does not contain advice or recommendations that may be relied on. Where links to external websites are provided, this does not indicate that Oxford Analytica or Emerald agree with, endorse or have checked for accuracy the contents of said sites.
2018
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