White House official says door is open for further cyber talks with New Zealand

A top ranking White House official says New Zealand has been receptive to working with AUKUS in the cyber arena.

Kurt Campbell, Joe Biden's National Security Council co-ordinator for the Indo Pacific, briefed media in Wellington this week on the defence pact between Australia, the UK and the US.

He said the US was now looking for other working group partners, and from his perspective the door was open for further talks with New Zealand.

"We agreed that we would launch the critical components of AUKUS, and then take steps to look at other partners.” 

"I will say, we've been gratified by how many countries want to join with us to work with cutting-edge technologies like in the cyber arena, hypersonics, you can go down a long list and it's great to hear that New Zealand is interested."

Campbell confirmed the United States was continuing its diplomatic push in the Pacific.

He will visit the Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands and the Cook Islands as the next stops on his diplomacy tour.

- CyberBeat