Financial Times: New Zealand boosts aid to counter China’s influence in South Pacific
“New Zealand is boosting its foreign aid budget by almost a third as part of a ‘Pacific Reset’ strategy aimed at bolstering its engagement in a region where western powers are wary about growing Chinese influence. The announcement of an extra NZ$714m ($493m) in aid funding over four years was made in the first budget delivered on Thursday by the government of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, which prioritized spending on health, education, and tackling homelessness…” (Smyth, 5/17).