Jacinda Ardern in Beijing with President Xi last month. She said that the Belt and Road initiative has evolved and her government wants to help it expand

New Zealand has broken away from its western intelligence allies with an offer to support China’s contentious global infrastructure and investment project.

The Belt and Road initiative involves Chinese state banks offering funds to develop transport schemes around the world to facilitate trade.

Supporters present it as a development initiative but critics say it is primarily to advance Beijing’s strategic interests, and even a form of “debt colonialisation”. Beijing has recently tried to recast the programme, promising to improve standards and transparency.

Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand prime minister, said she believed the scheme had “really evolved” and her government was prepared to offer Beijing advice on expanding it. Her trade minister, David Parker, said that New Zealand believed that it could “find