By Steve Neavling
The FBI has opened a new office in New Zealand’s capital to bolster cooperation with U.S. allies in the Pacific and push back against growing Chinese influence in the region.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the standalone office in Wellington will enhance law enforcement coordination between the two countries, particularly on cybersecurity, organized crime, and efforts to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s influence, Reuters reports.
“Some of the most important global issues of our times are the ones that New Zealand and America work on together – countering the CCP in the Indo PACOM theatre, countering the narcotics trade, working together against cyber intrusions and ransomware operations and most importantly protecting our respective citizenry,” Patel said in a video released by the U.S. Embassy in Wellington.
The new office replaces a smaller suboffice that has operated in New Zealand since 2017. Patel traveled to New Zealand for the official opening and met with senior government ministers during his visit, according to the embassy.
New Zealand and the U.S. are both members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, along with the U.K., Canada, and Australia. The two countries have been strengthening ties as Beijing expands its reach in the South Pacific.
New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins and Police Minister Mark Mitchell welcomed the FBI’s expanded presence, saying in a joint statement that the office “will enhance the safety and security of New Zealanders.”
