BEIJING - Cracks are emerging in the Five Eyes Alliance, a US-led intelligence pact, over approaches towards China, underscoring the difficulties Washington faces in forging a common front against China, according to a recent media report.

In a report on Friday, Bloomberg noted that New Zealand was distancing itself from Australia, a partner in the Five Eyes along with the United States, Britain and Canada, over the intelligence-sharing pact's harsh stance on China.

Noting that New Zealand has on occasion opted not to join the other four countries in issuing co-signed statements on China, the report said it "reflects how New Zealand is becoming uncomfortable with the Five Eyes expressing increasingly critical views on China-related issues."