In a move likely to appease Beijing, New Zealand’s foreign minister is distancing the nation’s foreign policy away from close democratic allies, preferring to chart its own course on relations with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta was speaking—in her second major address since assuming office—at the New Zealand China Council on Monday, where she outlined what the nation’s “contemporary relationship” with China would look like. While Mahuta warned local exporters of the need to diversify their trade markets and raised concerns on Beijing’s expansion in the South Pacific, she indicated that the Ardern government preferred not to align with the Five Eyes’ nations on issues outside of intelligence-sharing. “We are uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the Five Eyes,” she told reporters. “We would much rather prefer to look for multilateral opportunities to express our interests.” “New Zealand has been very clear, certainly in this term …