New Zealand Reviewing Aid to Kiribati After Meeting Canceled
(Bloomberg) -- New Zealand is reviewing its aid to Kiribati after the tiny Pacific nation’s president canceled a meeting with Foreign Minister Winston Peters at short notice.
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Peters was due to lead a delegation to Kiribati on Jan. 21 but was advised the week before that President and Foreign Minister Taneti Maamau was no longer available to receive him, a spokesperson said in a statement. The visit was to be the first in over five years by a New Zealand minister and was the result of a months-long effort to travel there.
“The lack of political-level contact makes it very difficult for us to agree joint priorities for our development program, and to ensure that it is well targeted and delivers good value for money,” the spokesperson said. “For this reason, we are reviewing our development program in Kiribati. Other aspects of the bilateral relationship may also be impacted.”
Kiribati is one of the most vulnerable nations in the world to rising sea levels, while its proximity to Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean makes it strategically important. New Zealand and Australia are key partners for the US in the Pacific but geostrategic competition has become more intense over the past decade as China vies for greater influence.
In 2019 Beijing scored a big win when the Solomon Islands and Kiribati switched their diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. Beijing last year agreed a partnership with Kiribati to provide it with uniformed police, prompting a warning from Washington.
New Zealand’s development cooperation with Kiribati totaled NZ$102 million ($58 million) between 2021 and 2024, with investments in health, education, fisheries, economic development and climate resilience.
Peters visited 16 Pacific Island nations last year to better understand the region and ensure development assistance is well-targeted, his spokesperson said.
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