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Peters confirms China concerns over defence paper

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  Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters says the Government's job is not to make people happy but be a "responsible international citizen". Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters says the Government's job is not to make people happy but be a "responsible international citizen". Photo credit: Lynn Grieveson.

China has registered its displeasure with New Zealand’s newfound hard line on the Asian superpower, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters has confirmed reports Sam Sachdeva for Newsroom.

However, Peters has disputed suggestions the Government’s new defence policy represents a change of tack, claiming there was “no difference” between the comments he has made in the past about China and those advanced by Defence Minister Ron Mark.

The Strategic Defence Policy Statement, released last week, raised eyebrows among foreign policy experts with its seemingly newfound hawkishness on “an increasingly confident China”.