Melbourne, Australia (AP)-the leaders of New Zealand and Australia discussed a closer collaboration on Saturday between their growing soldiers against the background of a recent extraordinary Chinese live-Fire exercise near their coasts.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon organized his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in the tourist city of Queenstown for their second annual bilateral leaders' meeting.
Luxon said that his country wanted closer military cooperation with Australia, a country that he describes as 'only ally' of Nieuw -Zeeland.
“A big focus for us is interoperability with Australia. We want to be a more strengther,” Luxon told reporters.
“We want to be one, kind of essential Anzac power that in essence in our region,” he added, referring to the Australian New Zealand Army Corps in which the soldiers of the two nations fought together for the first time during the First World War.
The top follows a Chinese navy fleet weapons in the Tasman Sea, which separates Australia and Nieuw -Zeeland. The exercise forced commercial airlines to distract flights.
The Chinese navy rarely ventures to the south and the mission that was partially bypassed Australia as a demonstration of the growing military reach of China.
Albanese said last month that during a state visit to Beijing, he complained to Chinese President Xi Jinping about the lack of notification that the Chinese of the Live-Fire exercise had given. Xi replied that Australia also exercised with exercises, referring to freedom of navigation missions carried out by the Australian army in the disputed South Chinese Sea.
Albanian and Luxon acknowledged that their countries are confronted with the most unpredictable and dangerous strategic environment in decades and their alliance plays a crucial role in protecting and promoting their shared interest in the region, they said in a joint explanation.
In the past year, the prime ministers have also praised progress to intensify the cooperation and integration of the defense.
Although the statement did not mention China, the prime ministers confirmed that their most important trading partner was being discussed.
“Of course the geostrategic competition, in particular between the great powers, is something that countries such as Australia and New Zealand discuss together and we work together politically,” said Albanian.
Luxon said: “Both countries have followed almost the same playbook” in their bilateral interaction with China.
“China is an important world power. It is important that we can participate,” Luxon said.
“We are really able to have a conversation – I think we are now a very adult – to say, look, we have very different histories, we have different systems, we have different values, which means we have differences. Good partners should not be afraid to talk about those things,” Luxon added.
