Peters Calls for Engaged US in Pacific Ahead of New Zealand Vote

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters has called for the United States to remain engaged in the Pacific, warning that the region faces a more unsettled environment marked by missile tests, naval exercises edging further south and the growing reach of organised transnational crime.

In his final major foreign policy speech before New Zealand's November 7 election, Peters said the current climate was not benign. He pointed to missile testing carried out without permission or adequate notice, to naval exercises moving ever-further southwards, and to the threat posed to Pacific neighbours and New Zealand by organised crime.

While he did not name China, Peters has previously condemned China's test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the South Pacific. China's official Xinhua news agency described that launch at the time as a routine arrangement of its annual military training, not directed against any specific country or target.

"The United States is a Pacific power, and we need an engaged America in the Pacific in support of regional prosperity and security," Peters said.

Peters, serving his third stint as foreign minister, said Washington had an important role in helping Pacific nations build capacity to disrupt drug trafficking, which he described as an evil scourge washing across the region's shores.

His remarks underline the centre-right government's increasingly direct language on geopolitical competition in the Pacific, where China has expanded its diplomatic, economic and security presence in recent years. New Zealand has sought to reinforce its own role in the region through aid, defence cooperation and diplomatic engagement, while urging larger partners including the US to listen more closely to the priorities of island governments.

Peters said the United States had responded to concerns raised by Wellington and other regional partners during the government's term, pointing to announcements made by Washington in Palau that included $150 million in support for Pacific Islands.

"We have talked a lot with them this term about the challenges facing the Pacific and the United States' announcements in Palau were welcome recognition that they have listened and are responding," he said.

More broadly, Peters said New Zealanders were living in a deeply troubled world, one whose global economy has been roiled by disruption, uncertainty and the unwelcome return of trade protectionism.

The veteran populist politician, 81, is seeking re-election as leader of New Zealand First, a junior partner in the governing coalition. While unlikely to seek the premiership himself, Peters has played a decisive role in forming governments on several occasions since New Zealand adopted proportional representation in the 1990s.