New Zealand’s foreign minister asked the United States to maintain an active presence in the Pacific region and warned about a world that is “more turbulent and more unstable.”

Winston Peters said on Monday: “America is a major power in the Pacific, and we need an active U.S. presence in this region to support regional prosperity and security.”

He pointed to missile tests without permission or adequate notice, naval exercises moving further south each time, and the threat of transnational organized crime.

Peters did not name China, but he had previously condemned China’s ballistic missile test in the South Pacific.