New Zealand should be confident it can stand up to intimidation from China without worrying the superpower will cut economic ties, a University of Otago political specialist says.
After a mechanic found University of Canterbury China expert Prof Anne-Marie Brady's tyres were tampered with, Prof Robert Patman from Otago was one of 29 academics to sign an open letter to the Government on Monday that called for more to be done to protect her.
The incident was the latest in a series of events to happen to Prof Brady, including a break-in at her home when laptops and phones were taken, and break-ins at her office.
Police and the New Zealand Security and Intelligence Service have spent nine months investigating the break-ins.
All happened after the publication last September of her "Magic Weapons" paper, looking at China's political influence in New Zealand.
There was "no need for New Zealand to sacrifice its own interests and values" to gain economic or political favour from China, Prof Patman said yesterday.
He said it would be "surprising" if China did not try to exert its influence.
"But China is a one-party state and New Zealand is a liberal democracy.
"There are fundamental political differences between the two states, and burgeoning economic ties should not blur those differences. If China believes that states with different political systems should engage in economic co-operation, it should have no problem with maintaining that arrangement."
Earlier this year it was revealed Southland Mayor Gary Tong was in China on an all-expenses paid trip funded by businessman Yikun Zhang, the millionaire at the centre of a National Party donation scandal. Several councillors contacted by the Otago Daily Times were aware he was in China, but had never heard of Mr Zhang.
Prof Patman said all-expenses-paid trips "may sometimes generate mutually-beneficial links", but it was important for publicly-elected officials to be completely transparent when accepting them.