SYDNEY -- New Zealand has indicated that it may cooperate with the AUKUS defense agreement between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., a move that would be a change in the country's relatively friendly policy toward China.
Annette King, New Zealand's top diplomat to Australia, said Wellington is open to collaborating on quantum computing, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies -- one of the areas covered by the pact.
New Zealand, however, will not be involved in the development of nuclear submarines, which is the main feature of the AUKUS agreement.
"It's been made clear to us that other countries are going to be welcome to be involved in other parts of the architecture" of the pact, King told the Sydney Morning Herald last month, adding that "cyber is one area that we'd certainly be interested in."
New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Nikkei that the country has not been invited to join AUKUS. However, Wellington will collaborate closely with the three member nations toward shared security interests outside of nuclear submarines, the ministry said.
New Zealand has declared itself a nuclear-free zone since the 1980s. The AUKUS agreement includes the provision for nuclear submarine technology being acquired by Australia. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in September that nuclear-powered submarines would not be allowed to enter the nation's waters.
King, the high commissioner to Australia, repeated her country's noninvolvement in Australia's deployment of nuclear submarines.
At the same time, "we have reiterated our collective objective to deliver peace and stability in our region and the preservation of an international rules-based system," said King, indicating that New Zealand welcomes the U.S. and U.K.'s expanded involvement in the Indo-Pacific.
New Zealand is part of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing framework with the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada. Tensions over a range of issues, including trade, human rights and Taiwan, have intensified between China on one side and U.S. and Australia on the other.
New Zealand, however, has shown a certain level of consideration for China, its largest trading partner. Some observers believe Wellington is looking to adjust its diplomatic stance toward China.
During May's bilateral summit with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Ardern rejected the claim that New Zealand is too accommodating to China when it comes to human rights and trade.
"You'll see Australia and New Zealand have broadly been positioned in exactly the same place on these issues consistently so I really push back on any suggestion that we are not taking a strong stance on these incredibly important issues," Ardern had said.
In July, New Zealand issued a statement condemning Chinese state-sponsored cyberattacks, joining the ranks of Japan, the U.S., Australia and Canada.