New Zealand-China strategic defence dialogue
On 10 May, the New Zealand-China Strategic Defence Dialogue took place in Xi’an, China.
11 May, 2023
The New Zealand-China Strategic Defence Dialogue is a regular officials’ level meeting. The Dialogue was led for New Zealand by Vice Chief of Defence Force, Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies, and Ministry of Defence Deputy Secretary Policy and Planning, Richard Schmidt.
The Dialogue was cordial, and offered a useful opportunity for both sides to exchange perspectives on regional security issues. Further dialogue and cooperation at existing multilateral fora was also discussed.
The New Zealand-China Strategic Defence Dialogue is one of a wide suite of regular engagements that the New Zealand Defence Force and Ministry of Defence undertake with counterpart organisations internationally.
This meeting is the 11th iteration of the Strategic Defence Dialogue between New Zealand and China. While the Strategic Defence Dialogue is an annual engagement, the 11th meeting is the first to take place since 2019, due to the interruption in regular Defence engagement activities that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.