JAKARTA – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opened an office in New Zealand to increase the shared ability of the United States in dealing with China’s presence in the Pacific Region, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Thursday.
Patel said in a statement that the opening of a special law enforcement attache office in Wellington would strengthen and enhance Washington’s long-term cooperation with one of its key partners in the southwest Pacific.
“Some of the most important global issues of our time are issues being worked on together by New Zealand and America, against PKT (Chinese Communist Party) in the Indo-Pacific region, against narcotics trafficking, working together against cyber intrusion and ransomware operations, and most importantly protecting our own citizens,” he added in a video released by the US Embassy in Wellington.
The FBI itself has had branch offices in New Zealand since 2017 and the two countries have worked closely together on police issues, including exploitation of children and organized crimes.
The cooperation between the Land of Kiwi and Uncle Sam has become closer amid concerns about China’s increasing influence in the Pacific.
In addition, both are members of an intelligence sharing partnership known as Five Eyes, which also includes Australia, Canada, and the UK.
Separately, New Zealand Defense Ministerung Collins and Police Minister Mark Mitchell said in a statement they welcomed the new FBI office, which they said would improve the safety and security of New Zealanders.
Patel visited New Zealand to inaugurate the office, and a US Embassy statement said he was also visiting key ministers of the New Zealand Government.
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