The FBI promoted the New Zealand office to confront China, international crime Crime news

The FBI director, Cash Patel, traveled to New Zealand to open the office, which will also supervise the office operations in the Pacific countries.

The FBI director, Cash Patel, said that the United States FBI promoted his presence in New Zealand to an independent office in the capital, Wellington, where the two governments are working together to counter Chinese influence throughout the Asia and Pacific region.

Patel traveled to New Zealand to open the office personally, and on Thursday praised the “Strong Relationship” of the Federal Investigation Office with Law enforcement and local intelligence agencies.

Patel has devoted the United States and New Zealand cooperation on issues related to China in a video clip shared by the American embassy.

“Some of the most important global issues of our time are the issue that New Zealand and America are working together-confronting CCP (the Chinese Communist Party) at the India Pacum Theater, facing drug trafficking, and worked together against cyber operations and ransom operations, and most importantly, protecting our citizens with a word,” Patel said.

The United States and New Zealand are both members of the “Five Eyes” intelligence exchange network, which includes Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. They also cooperate in other issues such as organized crime, Internet crime, drug trafficking and children’s exploitation.

The FBI has maintained a presence in New Zealand since 2017, but the independent Wielgton office represents a great promotion in the presence of the US agency and will supervise the office’s work in the Antarctic continent, Samoa, Noyu and the Cook and Tonga Islands.

The two governments previously expressed concern about the increasing presence of China in the Pacific region and the successful Beijing campaign to expand its diplomatic and economic scope.

Washington is afraid that the Chinese army can one day build an external base in the Pacific region, which is traditionally the backyard of the United States.

Minister Judith Collins, who is responsible for intelligence services in New Zealand and the country’s police minister, Mark Mitchell, said that they welcomed the FBI decision because he would help “maintain a safe and a New Zealand believer.”

Patel met yesterday with Colines, Mitchell and a handful of government ministers, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters, according to the local media.

The minister was pleased to host the director of the FBI, Cash Patel, for conversations in Walington yesterday.

Discuss:

The close security relationship between New Zealand and the United States;

Issues of orders facing the Pacific Ocean; and

-The new cooperation in the United States here and in … pic.twitter.com/zojcymjsii

Winston Peters (newzealandmfa) July 31, 2025