David CapieDavid Capie

David Capie is Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies, Victoria University of Wellington

NZ has signalled a new, tougher stance on China. How will Beijing respond?

by

Ron Mark on Friday revealed the most important foreign policy statement we have seen yet from the new government, including an unmistakable shift in NZ’s position on China, writes David Capie The government’s Strategic Defence Policy Statement, launched on Friday by defence minister Ron Mark, signals a new view of New Zealand’s security challenges. It … Read more

How international issues could gatecrash the Ardern honeymoon

by

Attempts to renegotiate the TPP provide the immediate task, but defence also looms as a big challenge for a government with three key internationally focused positions filled by NZ First MPs, writes the director of the Centre for Strategic Studies, David Capie One of the biggest surprises to emerge from talks to form a new … Read more

In a little-noticed Laos moment, McCully signals a major turnaround in NZ policy on Thailand

by

Following a military coup in 2014, high-level contacts between Wellington and Bangkok went into deep freeze. Why is that now beginning to thaw, asks David Capie Hot on the heels of the Hague Tribunal’s decision about the South China Sea, Foreign Minister Murray McCully is back in Asia. Meetings with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian … Read more

Beijing’s rhetoric has been furious. What matters now is the action it takes

by

The ruling from the Hague on the South China Sea is stunning. For the region the stakes are huge, and New Zealand’s response is notably more cautious than Australia or the US, writes David Capie. Last night’s decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague delivered a resounding legal defeat to China’s maritime … Read more

For all the thrill of cyber armies and drones, there’s more to NZ’s new defence strategy

by

With an increased emphasis on our immediate neighbourhood and non-traditional defence activities, the White Paper strikes a refreshing balance, writes the Centre for Strategic Studies’ David Capie The immediate media response to the 2016 Defence White Paper suggests we are all vulnerable to being mesmerised by high-tech toys. Even before the paper was officially launched … Read more

A warning shot has been fired at John Key from China. But why?

by

The NZ PM has been welcomed to Beijing with a commentary at the state news agency (nb See update at foot of article) cautioning such an ‘absolute outsider’ against raising the South China Sea dispute, suggesting to do so would imperil trade relations. It doesn’t come completely out of the blue, explains Asia-Pacific expert David … Read more