“Experts are sounding the alarm about Chinese efforts to gain political power and influence policy decisions,” she said during a speech in Auckland Monday night.
“(Academic) Anne-Marie Brady of the University of Canterbury has rightly called this a new global battle, and it’s just getting started,” added Clinton.
China vehemently denies allegations that it tries to influence the domestic politics of other countries for its own benefit.
Clinton’s comments follow a report by Brady published last month in the Journal of Democracy, accusing Beijing of carrying out a “concerted foreign-influence campaign” in New Zealand.
“The campaign aims to further the political and economic agendas of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by co-opting local elites, securing access to strategic information and resources, and manipulating public discourse,” said the report.
Prof Anne-Marie Brady from the University of Canterbury has frequently warned of growing Chinese influence in New Zealand, a message echoed by Hillary Clinton on a recent trip to the country, saying New Zealand needed to take the threat “seriously”.
