China Minimizes Significance of Missile Exercise: New Zealand Newspapers
Chatty Rewrite:
Hey There! Let's dive into some juicy geopolitics, shall we? Last year, China pulled a sneaky one on foreign nations by downplaying a significant military event – a nuclear-capable missile test over the Pacific Ocean. According to confidential documents obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP), New Zealand diplomats were quite concerned about Beijing's attempt to pass off this test as routine.
In September, China's military fired a dummy warhead into the Pacific, near French Polynesia. This was China's first long-range missile launch over international waters in over 40 years. The test served as a stark reminder of China's potent nuclear-strike capabilities that they tried to hide behind the term "routine."
"We are concerned that China is characterizing this as a 'routine test,'" senior diplomats wrote in an internal memo. "It is not routine: China has not conducted this type of long-range missile test in over 40 years. We do not want to see this test repeated."
China painted a different picture, describing the event as a "legitimate and routine arrangement for military training." But, New Zealand diplomats privately criticized China's "mischaracterization."
"As this is the first time that China has undertaken such an action in the Pacific in several decades, it is a significant and concerning development," they wrote in one of the documents.
The test marked a bold assertion of China's military presence in the strategically important South Pacific, a region where the US, Australia, and New Zealand have traditionally been the dominant security partners.
China, however, seemed to want a piece of the action. Over the past few years, they've been showering developing island nations with aid, building hospitals, roads, and stadiums. But, this was one of the rare occasions where they exercised their military muscle in the region.
"We have again asked China why it conducted the test at this time, and why it chose to terminate the missile test in the South Pacific," New Zealand diplomats wrote.
The missile was launched with little warning on Sept. 25 last year. Photos released by China showed a projectile streaking into the sky from a secret location, creating a billowing plume of smoke. Experts believed it to be one of China's advanced Dong Feng-31 missiles, a weapon capable of delivering a thermonuclear warhead.
The long-range missile splashed into a patch of ocean long designated a nuclear-free zone under an international treaty. Pacific island nations, deeply scarred by nuclear tests in the past, were left shaken.
"This is the first time that we are aware of a test of a nuclear-capable missile terminating within the zone since its establishment in 1986," the New Zealand diplomats wrote.
China alerted some nations – including the US, UK, France, Australia, and New Zealand – before the test, but Pacific island nations were left in the dark. After the launch, Japan voiced "serious concern," Australia said the test risked destabilizing the South Pacific, and Fiji urged "respect for our region."
Experts saw the test as a significant since it occurred in the South Pacific. "Since 1980, China's ICBM tests have taken place within Chinese territory," said China foreign policy expert Nicholas Khoo. "The test is a reminder to regional states that China is a 'full spectrum' power that has economic and military power. It is a peer with the US," he added.
Harvard University researcher Zhang Hui (張會) saw it as a forceful reminder of China's nuclear strength. "The test shows that the Rocket Force has an operational and credible nuclear force that can help ensure China's ability to maintain a strong nuclear deterrent," said Zhang. "The rare public ICBM test seems to have been specifically aimed at dissuading Washington from using nuclear weapons in a potential conflict across the Taiwan Strait."
So, there you have it! China's 2020 missile test over the Pacific was a major event, signaling a strategic escalation in projecting military power, complicating regional security, and challenging established norms around military activities in nuclear-free zones. It's a fascinating end to a turbulent year, isn't it? Stay tuned for more adventures in diplomacy!
- The recent missile test by China over the Pacific Ocean, a test that New Zealand diplomats described as "not routine," underscores the involvement of policy and legislation in war-and-conflicts, as nations try to comprehend and respond to such military actions.
- The strategic placement of China's missile test in the South Pacific, traditionally a region dominated by the US, Australia, and New Zealand, not only highlights geopolitical shifts but also general news events, as Pacific island nations and other nations express concern about China's military presence and activities.
