CHINA'S INFLUENCE IN NEW ZEALAND

   G&M:   Canada’s spy agency is being warned that New Zealand, one of this country’s closest military allies, has been deeply affected by a Chinese government campaign of foreign interference.
    The new report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service cites “a curtailing of freedom of speech, religion and association for the ethnic Chinese community” in New Zealand and a “corrupting influence on the political system through the blurring of personal, political and economic interests.”
    The report says China has worked to co-opt the New Zealand business, political and intellectual elite but also made targeted financial contributions through business figures with links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and worked to bring Chinese-language media, Chinese community groups and ethnic Chinese politicians under control. Beijing has also used corporate takeovers and partnerships with companies and universities to gain access to military technology, commercial secrets and other strategic information.