Ballistic missile tests and the presence of the Chinese Navy will become a “persistent” feature in the Pacific as Beijing ramps up its military might, New Zealand officials warned in an internal document obtained by AFP.
“We anticipate that Chinese actions, such as the transit of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) task group through the Tasman Sea in February and China’s firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific in September 2024, will be a persistent feature of our strategic environment,” reads the report, obtained under Freedom of Information laws.
The 15-page document, dated December 2025, was drafted by New Zealand’s Defence Force and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade while Wellington was monitoring a Chinese naval flotilla in the Philippine Sea. It was briefed to New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, alongside his ministers of defense, foreign affairs, and intelligence.
“New Zealand officials are in close contact with Australian counterparts and maintain operational oversight of these vessels,” the report notes.
China has poured billions of dollars into its defense sector in recent years, a trend that has unnerved several regional governments.
When questioned by AFP on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun maintained he was “unaware” of the New Zealand document but insisted that Beijing remains “firmly committed to a path of peaceful development.”
“China’s military development aims to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. It is not directed against any country (…) and contributes to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the wider world,” he said during a routine press briefing.
‘Incremental Expansion’
The Chinese Navy, in particular, has expanded rapidly as leadership in the world’s second-largest economy seeks to project power across the Pacific—a region long dominated by the United States military.
Wellington’s anxieties over Chinese military movements had already intensified following the deployment of three Chinese warships to the Tasman Sea, located between Australia and New Zealand, in February 2025.
The vast majority of the report provided to AFP was heavily redacted for privacy, national security, and confidentiality reasons.
In the unredacted sections, officials noted that Beijing’s February 2025 deployment into the Tasman Sea complied with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“This includes how the task group notified intentions to conduct live-fire exercises, which we assess fell short of international best practice and forced several airlines to alter their routing,” the report states.
Beijing’s December deployment to the Philippine Sea was “consistent with the incremental expansion of China’s maritime security presence in the South Pacific over the past decade,” the text adds.
“Beijing has deployed a wide range of military vessels to the region, including, but not limited to, hospital ships, large amphibious vessels supporting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, and space event support ships.”
Space support ships are designed to track rocket launches, satellites, and intercontinental ballistic missile activity.
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