New Zealand reviews Kiribati aid programme after presidential snub

FILE PHOTO: New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters attends the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at National Convention Center, in Vientiane, Laos, July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - The New Zealand government said it is reviewing its development aid programme with the Pacific nation of Kiribati after the country's president cancelled a meeting with New Zealand’s foreign minister earlier in January.

Kiribati, a Pacific Ocean neighbour of Hawaii with a vast Exclusive Economic Zone of 3.6 million square kilometres (1.4 million square miles) has developed close ties to Beijing in recent years, including hosting Chinese police.