New Zealand aims to boost U.S. ties amid global instability

New Zealand is facing the most unstable global environment in decades, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Friday, as he pledged to boost ties with the United States amid conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“We cannot afford to sit back in splendid isolation in the South Pacific, pontificate smugly, and talk exclusively to those countries we agree with,” Peters said in a statement issued after his trip to the United States, Egypt and Europe.
“It is critical that we show up, listen to all perspectives, and enhance partnerships with our traditional friends, so that we can adapt to the complex global environment.”
Peters said New Zealand’s focus would remain closer to home as it works to build a more prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific region, where the United States and China have been competing for influence.
Peters met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, D.C. on Friday and said they had pledged to work more closely together in the Pacific Islands region.