Pacific must not become a 'military zone' amid rise of China, New Zealand's deputy PM warns

The Pacific must be protected from becoming a military zone amid China's growing push for influence in the region, New Zealand's top diplomat Winston Peters has warned ahead of a meeting with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong. Peters, who is New Zealand's deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister, told the Guardian that his country has a good relationship with China. "But the reality is, as the geostrategic shape of the world changes, we do not want the Pacific to become the grounds for competition," Peters said. Peters said the Pacific was known as a region of peace "and we…