New Zealand faces growing challenge from Chinese nationalism, defence report warns

Defence ministry says competition between US and China a major driver' of increased insecurity in the Pacific region

New Zealand faces a substantially more challenging and complex strategic environment", in large part because of China's rise and increasingly strong nationalist narrative", according to a stark report released by the country's defence ministry.

The remarkably explicit warning on Wednesday included a detailed discussion of China's military modernisation and emphasised the importance of New Zealand's deep security relationships with Anglosphere countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.