as a breach of Hong Kong's autonomy and rights under the Sino-British Joint Declaration. In response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Zhao Lijian warned the Five Eyes countries, stating that "No matter if they have five eyes or 10 eyes, if they dare to harm China's sovereignty, security and development interests, they should beware of their eyes being poked and blinded." In response, Mahuta defended New Zealand's commitment to free speech, free media, and democracy. In mid-December, Mahuta stated during an interview with Reuters that New Zealand would be interested in helping to negotiate a truce between Australia and China, whose bilateral relationship had deteriorated due to Australia legislation on foreign investment and interference, Australian support for an international investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese blocks on Australian imports and a controversial Chinese post about alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. In response, Global Times columnist Qian Feng claimed that New Zealand was not suited for the role of mediator since it was part of the same Western camp as Australia. 2021 On 9 February 2021, Mahuta announced that New Zealand had suspended high-level bilateral relations with Myanmar in response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. The New Zealand Government joined other Western governments in refusing to recognise the new military-led government and called for the restoration of civilian-led rule. In addition, aid projects were diverted away from the Myanmar military and a travel ban was imposed on Myanmar's military leaders. On 19 April, Mahuta stated that New Zealand would not let the United States-led Five Eyes dictate New Zealand's bilateral relationship with China and that New Zealand was uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the intelligence grouping. Mahuta's statements came amid rising disagreements between the New Zealand and Australian Governments on how to manage relations with Beijing. In March 2021, the Australian and New Zealand governments issued a joint statement condemning the treatment of Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang; however, the Australian Government has since expressed concern about what it perceives as New Zealand Government efforts to undermine Five Eyes attempts to push back on what the Australian Government regards as "increasingly aggressive behaviour from Beijing." In response to Mahuta's remarks, Prime Minister Ardern stated that New Zealand was still committed to the Five Eyes alliance but would not use the group as its first point for messaging on non-security matters. While British media criticised New Zealand