On August 21, New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) released its annual “Security Threat Environment Report,” warning that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the most active and serious foreign power interfering in New Zealand.
The report says the CCP uses united front networks, transnational repression, and infiltration to expand influence and access sensitive information, posing long-term risks to national security.
Key points:
- Transnational repression: Monitoring and intimidating dissidents, activists, and minorities, sometimes involving forced repatriation.
- Community influence: Using diaspora and cultural groups to push pro-Beijing narratives and weaken independent ties with the government.
- Economic/tech infiltration: Targeting institutions, infrastructure, and technology; businesses may be exploited through normal exchanges.
The report highlights the CCP’s United Front Work Department (UFWD) as central to these efforts, describing them as “deceptive, coercive, and corruptive.”
It also warns that China’s “National Security Law” forces individuals and organizations to cooperate with state security, raising risks for foreign partners. Espionage targeting policies, technology, and infrastructure is increasing, involving not just intelligence officers but also companies, universities, think tanks, and hackers.
Source: Epoch Times, August 21, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/21/n14578111.htm