• FBI inaugurates its first standalone office in New Zealand, marking a significant expansion.
• Director Kish Patel highlights collaboration to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific region.
• China expresses "shock," calling the FBI's comments "groundless." New Zealand officials dismiss these claims.
• The new office will focus on various transnational crimes, including cybercrime and drug trafficking.
• New Zealand ministers emphasize cooperation that does not specifically target China.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has inaugurated its first standalone office in New Zealand, a strategic move seen as part of efforts to counteract Chinese influence in the Asia-Pacific region. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the new office would bolster collaboration on critical issues such as cybercrime and organized crime, reflecting a united front between the U.S. and its Five Eyes partners—Australia, Canada, and the UK. Patel stated that "some of the most important global issues of our times are the ones that New Zealand and America work on together," according to thejakartapost and aljazeera.

The opening of the Wellington office ends New Zealand’s status as the only member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance without a permanent FBI presence. This move signals a significant escalation in U.S. intelligence operations in the region and reflects both nations' commitment to addressing threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Patel's remarks regarding the FBI's priority to counter the CCP provoked diplomatic discomfort, leading New Zealand officials to downplay the implications of the office as specifically aimed at China, as noted by indiatimes and trtglobal.

In response to the FBI's claims, the Chinese government expressed "shock," with foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun asserting that such actions are "detrimental to peace and stability" in the region. Guo condemned the FBI's suggestion that their new office would specifically target China, reinforcing China's stance that international cooperation should not be aimed at any single nation. He stated, "seeking so-called absolute security through forming small groupings under the banner of countering China does not help keep the Asia Pacific and the world at large peaceful and stable," according to scmp and aa.

New Zealand ministers, including Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Security Services Minister Judith Collins, emphasized that their discussions with Patel focused on shared concerns such as child exploitation and organized crime, avoiding any mention of China. "When we were talking, we never raised that issue," Peters clarified, indicating the country's intention to maintain balanced diplomatic relations, as highlighted by trtglobal and aljazeera.