The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand issues a statement on the opening of an FBI office in Wellington, New Zealand on July 31, 2025. Photo: Screenshot of the statement

In response to the opening of a new FBI office in Wellington with a permanent Legal Attaché position, as well as remarks made by relevant New Zealand ministers to the media, a spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand said on Thursday that China strongly opposes any attempt to make groundless accusations or vilify China based on a Cold War mentality, and such acts are against people's will and are doomed to fail.

US Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel announced the opening of a new dedicated attaché office in the capital of New Zealand on Thursday, as the Daily Mail reported that the FBI claimed the move as a major step to combat the growing threat from China.

FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson also claimed that the opening was a "historic step" in strengthening the working relationship with New Zealand including to confront the growing threats of our time emanating from the Indo-Pacific - particularly from hostile nation-state actors, said the report.

However, New Zealand government batted away suggestions the FBI's new office in Wellington aims to counter China, according to a report by the official New Zealand media outlet Radio New Zealand on Thursday, titled "Government pushes back on claims FBI's new office in Wellington to counter China."

In the report, New Zealand Defence minister Judith Collins pushed back on suggestions the office was a response to China's influence, saying it was "about the transnational crime that we see, the increasing influence of major drug traffickers across the Pacific, but also interference in countries' systems - particularly when I look at some of the gun-running sort of type behavior that we know goes on the Pacific from transnational and global criminal outfits".

When it was pointed out Patel himself had referred to China, Collins said: "well, I don't respond to other people's press releases." "That's up to him, he doesn't answer to me," she said, per report.

According to the RNZ news, Collins said, "We know that we do have international criminals... let's just understand that our security agency is also involved in this. We're not going to single out any particular country." 

"Transnational crime is a common challenge encountered by all countries requiring cooperation to tackle," said the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, noting that relevant cooperation should not target any third party.

Global Times