China's rise: South Pacific perspectives

New Zealand and Australia both see China's rise as the leading factor in Asia's emerging security landscape. Both also share an interest in peaceful major power relations between a stronger China and a still powerful United States, but their respective relationships with these two leading regional powers are not identical. It is possible to overplay these differences: Australia's strategic view of China is not as uncompromising as some New Zealanders may be tempted to think, and New Zealand's view is not as soft as some Australians might imagine it to be. Canberra and Wellington will find opportunities to work together on managing the effects of Asia's power transition. But differences in their abilities to engage in some areas, including their readiness for advanced military operations in Asia's maritime domains, will also continue to be evident.