Wellington, Aug. 1 -- The FBI has officially opened a standalone office in New Zealand's capital, Wellington, aiming to bolster joint efforts between the United States and New Zealand to counter China's expanding influence in the Pacific region, FBI Director Kash Patel said Thursday, according to the Taipei Times.

Patel, who spent several days in Wellington meeting with senior New Zealand government ministers, intelligence chiefs, and law enforcement officials, emphasised that the new dedicated FBI attache office will deepen Washington's longstanding cooperation with one of its key partners in the southwestern Pacific.

In a statement released by the US embassy in Wellington, Patel said, "Some of the most important global issues of our t...