What the censored GCSB report said and why they tried to hide it
Four key threats against New Zealand are cyber security, violent extremism and espionage – and one mystery threat which the intelligence community will not release.
The briefing carries a blanked-out section leaving a question mark of the fourth major threat facing New Zealand. That differs from the last briefing which identified six threats to New Zealand and detailed them all.
The original GCSB report was censored, but the following update finally showed what they were trying to hide…
The original briefing included a redacted mystery threat but the GCSB has since re-issued the briefing with that threat included – instability in the South Pacific. The same threat featured in the 2014 briefing issued by the intelligence agencies.
Canterbury University academic Professor Anne Marie Brady, internationally recognised for translating China’s propaganda campaigns, said New Zealand’s Government should consider following Australia’s lead.
She said the Government should not engage in “head-butting” with China, but should strengthen its resilience against its interference.
“I am encouraging our Government to look at [what Australia has done],” she told the Herald.
She said foreign powers trying to influence other countries was not unusual, but the Communist Party’s activities in New Zealand have been “very successful and very comprehensive” and were now at a critical level.
In a public lecture at Victoria University this week, she said China had several strategies, including:
• Managing Chinese communities overseas through Chinese media to make them agents of Chinese foreign policy.
• Managing public opinion through multiple platforms including social media.
• Co-opting non-Chinese political elites.
Brady said Labour MP Raymond Huo and National MP Jian Yang had been pushing the party’s “United Front” strategy in New Zealand, including trying to influence Chinese-language media here.
They probably never imagined it would be so cheap. A few sinecure chairmanships on the boards of the NZ subsidiaries of Chinese state-owned companies for former National Party hacks due for retirement – and Bob’s your uncle! Let the great Chinese Communist Party buy-up of NZ begin!
Let’s just face the facts: we are all China now.
I really don’t see China as a threat. I see the USA as a threat. We are very likely to be dragged into another war like Viet Nam (remember the domino theory) Afghanistan (Remember Al Qaida/ Al Nusra/ ISIS or some other group of displaced/ indoctrinated/or otherwise angry and violent young men). Look at North Korea. All they are asking for is that the USA and their vassal state South Korea stop the annual simulated invasion of NK.
What has China done to warrant your criticism. It turns out they are better at capitalism than the americans. NZ does need to secure its land and way of life and also support its pacific neighbours so that they too are independent and can retain their uniqueness Surely our government can do that. China has no history of military conquest it will provide the major economic growth engine for the world in the coming decades. The EU the UK and the USA are basically fucked. Driven into the ground by the financialisation of everything. Bled dry by the parasites of Wall Street and the city of London. These are the blood suckers that would like to see a war. It doesn’t matter where . Iran, North Korea, Ukraine. Yemen, Lebanon Anywhere as long as there is a war to hide their mismanagement of the Western economies and keep the money flowing to their stock, flavour of the month, the weapons manufacturers.
I don’t understand why China should attract such criticism when we are overwhelmed by the US influence on our media.
Everyone thinks Russia is righteously banned from the Seoul olympics. What are these opinions based on? US reports. US media, US bullshit. I think NZ is fucked if we continue to slavishly follow the United States of Hypocrisy. China is one of the few bright spots on the international scene in 2017
Ike;
Let’s not replace “US influence on our media” with another superpower’s hegemonic influence.
China has no democracy, no respect for human rights, no free media, totalitarian control by a paranoid elite, a powerful military machine, a sense of entitlement and grievance at the world, and endemic racism. They have trashed their own place and like all empires they seek to enrich themselves by exploiting foreign lands. They will be far crueller masters than the indulgent Americans or the paternalistic Poms
Re Martyn’s comment;
This already happened recently, when China gave a miniscule flex of it’s muscle, as I reported back in June and July 2013;
https://fmacskasy.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/whats-the-beef-guv/
https://fmacskasy.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/taiwan-fta-confirmation-by-tvnz-of-china-pressuring-the-beehive/
The problem at hand? New Zealand’s FTA with Taiwan – an area Beijing considers a “breakaway province” and part of Greater China. In 2013, Beijing have a subtle warning to the Beehive to “pull our heads in”.
National being the staunch, principled, independent-minded government they profess to be, most likely capitulated immediatly.
The Nats have had form on caving to foreign pressure. The passing of the Hobbit Bill in 2010; stripping workers of their choice to belong to a union; in under 48 hours – was a craven appeasement to Warner Bros.
It’s not a matter of whether or not National bends over. It’s how many times they will take a good ‘rogering’ to make their masters happy.
Just as well prostitution was legalised in this country.
Perhaps Mainland China is only so interested in getting some influence in New Zealand, because we are tied up with the Five Eyes Network, and still an ally of their greatest perceived ‘threat’, the USA.
I cannot see any other reason for China’s efforts here, as New Zealand is such an insignificant pimple in the Pacific Ocean, few ordinary Chinese will even knew what and where New Zealand is.
The better of from there consider this an ‘interesting’ place, a bit of a fairy land, with cows, sheep and green hills, and mountains, volcanoes, natural forests and some nice beaches. NZ Inc’s tourism industry is attracting only the upper middle class from there here, to holiday, have their kids study, and perhaps even consider ‘investing’ or immigrating, but there will hardly be all that many true spies coming here, given we are just not really that strategically important at all.
Except, I say it again, the Five Eyes connection, and what interception of that may gain for China.
They will make their own dairy products soon, more of it, and better quality, and they do otherwise source their resources and goods from a variety of places, so NZ Inc is just one amongst many supplying them.
In any case, it may be best for New Zealand to become truly independent, and to avoid any too close relationships with ANY of the superpowers, that may offer us the best security and best opportunities, also as ‘honest broker’ in times of trouble.
I strongly recommend this bit of ‘news’:
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-china-42248056/in-your-face-china-s-all-seeing-state