New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins isn’t concerned that a renewed partnership agreement between the U.S. and Papua New Guinea represents militarization of the Indo-Pacific region.
The agreement builds on existing relationships with the U.S. and isn’t just about security, Hipkins told reporters Monday after a meeting with PNG Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby.
“New Zealand doesn’t support militarization of the Pacific,” he said. “Having said that, military presence does not necessarily signify militarization.”
