Japan, NZ to speed up intel sharing pact amid China concerns

By HARUKA NUGA and MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — The foreign ministers of Japan and New Zealand have agreed to speed up talks on an intelligence sharing pact as the two island nations vowed to strengthen security ties and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region amid shared concern over an increasingly assertive China. New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and her Japanese counterpart, Yashimasa Hayashi, also agreed during their talks in Tokyo to collaborate on priority issues for Pacific Island nations such as climate change, maritime security and infrastructure. The two countries pledged to ensure that the Pacific Island region, where China’s influence is rapidly expanding, remains stable and prosperous and free from foreign interference and coercion.