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NZ’s push for joint statement on China missile test falls flat amid growing Pacific Islands autonomy_我的网站

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一 | 【环球时报报道记者梁睿马俊李煜】进入8月以来，解放军接连与多国举行双边演习，包括中国和白俄罗斯的“神鹰-2026”空降兵联合训练、中国和泰国的“鹰击-2026”空军联合训练、中国和埃及的“文明之鹰-2026”空军联合训练以及中国和阿联酋的“猎鹰盾牌-2026”空军联合训练。

二 |

Foreign ministers and top diplomats of the Pacific Islands countries attend a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Suva, Fiji, on August 7, 2026, ahead of the full leaders meeting scheduled for September 2026 in Palau. Photo: VCG
As foreign ministers and senior representatives from Pacific nations convened in Suva for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) to discuss key regional issues, New Zealand's foreign minister reportedly pushed to secure a joint statement condemning China's missile tests in July, however, his effort ultimately fell flat. A Chinese expert described the outcome as a clear rebuke to Canberra and Wellington's ingrained habit of speaking for the Pacific, saying the two countries must come to terms with a shifting reality: Pacific Island states are increasingly unwilling to let Australia and New Zealand dictate who their friends, foes and perceived security threats should be.
Pacific Island foreign ministers failed to agree on Friday to a joint response to China's missile launch in July, with further discussions expected at the Pacific leaders meeting at the end of August, said New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, according to Reuters.
According to a report from Radio New Zealand, there has not been a unanimous statement from Pacific nations about China's test-launch in July, and Peters said New Zealand had been pushing for one. Peters claimed that the Pacific missed an opportunity not to issue a joint statement soon after China's launch.
Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said before the meeting that she hoped China took note of the "very clear response" already sent from the Pacific about the test, according to AFP.
Peters' push for a joint PIF statement on China's missile tests, together with Wong's remarks, are less about technical security concerns than an effort to turn their own anxieties about China into a regional agenda and pressure Beijing under the forum's collective banner. His description of Pacific Island countries' refusal to single out China as a "missed opportunity" also reveals little respect for their independent judgment, Chen Hong, director of the New Zealand Studies Centre, East China Normal University, told the Global Times.
The result is a clear rebuke to Canberra and Wellington's long-standing habit of arrogantly "speaking for" the Pacific, as island states are increasingly unwilling to let Australia and New Zealand decide who their friends, foes or security threats should be, said Chen Hong.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy said on July 6 that one of its strategic nuclear submarines successfully launched a strategic missile toward relevant high seas of the Pacific Ocean, which landed precisely within the designated waters. China notified relevant countries in advance of the test launch, a move that demonstrates the openness and transparency of the Chinese armed forces, Chen Xi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference on July 7.
Chen Hong also noted that Peters' recent China-related rhetoric has become increasingly populist and hawkish as elections approach in New Zealand. "Such an approach risks undermining New Zealand's long-standing reputation for pragmatic, independent, and rational diplomacy," Chen Hong said.
In July, during a parliamentary debate on New Zealand's Covid-19 pandemic response, Peters, who is also leader of the populist New Zealand First party, told a Chinese-born lawmaker to "go back to your own country" while mocking his English proficiency. His remarks drew wide criticism in New Zealand.
Yet Australia and New Zealand continued to amplify missile-related issues and great-power rivalry, pushing the "China threat" narrative to the center of the regional agenda while sidelining the priorities that matter most to Pacific Island nations, said Chinese analysts.
Chen Hong noted that for island states, the most urgent concerns are not geopolitical competition but everyday challenges: climate change, energy security, development financing, infrastructure and economic resilience. By shifting the focus from these concerns to strategic rivalry among major powers, Australia and New Zealand risk distorting the region's real priorities and undermining the aspirations of Pacific Island countries.
According to an introduction on the forum website, "The Forum's Pacific Vision is for a resilient region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity, so that all Pacific people can lead free, healthy, and productive lives."
At the opening of the meeting, Rick Houenipwela, foreign minister of the Solomon Islands and chair of the meeting, said that the Pacific's agenda must continue to be "conceived ⁠by the Pacific, shaped by the Pacific and only by the Pacific," according to Reuters.
Chen Hong said Pacific Island nations have made their position clear: differences with China do not mean signing up to the strategic agendas of Australia and New Zealand. A growing number of island countries refuse to be trapped in the black-and-white binary choice of siding with either China or the West.
If Canberra and Wellington keep pushing rhetoric beyond the regional consensus, they risk undermining the very institution they claim to support. The PIF's strength lies not in issuing confrontational statements, but in preserving Pacific unity. Turning that consensus into a tool for pressuring China would erode the forum's cohesion and weaken its central role in the region, said Chen Hong.
。多名中国军事专家接受《环球时报》记者采访时表示，这些演习不但能从各个维度提升解放军的实战能力，同时也展现中国作为负责任大国的军事担当，为世界和平贡献正义力量。 展现跨洲际投送能力 北京时间8月21日凌晨，参加中埃“文明之鹰-2026”空军联合训练的中国空军多型战机和参训官兵，跨洲际抵达埃及空军某基地。

三 | 中国空军派出了歼击机、加油机、特种机、直升机等多型多架战机成体系参训。据介绍，转场途中，加油机既承担空中加油任务，也是空中指挥节点。在飞往埃及的途中，中国空军运油-20飞机为歼-16战机实施空中加油。军事专家宋忠平告诉《环球时报》记者，今年是中埃两国空军第二次开展联合训练，去年参演的中国空军主力战斗机是歼-10C，今年派出歼-16，说明中国空军正有计划地让不同型号的主力战机走出国门。

四 | 歼-16属于重型多用途战斗机，相比以制空为主的歼-10C，它的参训意味着双方可以进一步丰富联训的课目。据央视报道，这次中国空军编队跨越6000多公里、飞行近9小时抵达埃及，途中由运油-20为歼-16战斗机实施多轮空中加油。这不仅检验了歼-16自身的远程续航能力，也考验了运油-20的保障能力——两款机型通过实际拉练形成海外协同保障，本身就具有实战意义。对歼-16来说，这次远距离飞行是一次难得的考验，为后续更远距离的部署积累了宝贵经验。宋忠平还认为，连续两年以体系力量赴非洲参训，说明中国空军的跨洲际演训正从能力验证走向常态化。

五 | 未来中国空军需要更频繁地走出国门，与更多友好国家加强交流。

六 | 埃及空军有独到的作战经验，该国地处热带，中国空军在陌生空域的演练也有助于积累不同气候环境下的战斗经验。 近期演训各有侧重 在此之前，中国和白俄罗斯的“神鹰-2026”空降兵联合训练已经于8月12日正式开始，计划持续至8月24日。中国军事专家王亚男对《环球时报》记者表示，这次演习以联合城镇反恐行动为课题，主要开展侦察与反侦察、夺控与防卫、清剿与固守等演练，旨在提高联合反恐行动能力。白俄罗斯方面可能沿用苏军时期的做法，主打低空小规模伞降技术。

七 | 王亚男认为，此次联训并非单向的学习借鉴，更多的是双方在反恐领域建立合作基础、熟悉彼此行动习惯的过程。中泰“鹰击-2026”空军联合训练于8月20日在泰国空军乌隆基地圆满结束。此次中泰联演，中方派出了歼击机、歼轰机、预警机、加油机等多型战机及地导装备参训，视频中可见中方运-20、歼-10C、歼-10S，泰方则有“鹰狮”和“阿尔法”等机型。王亚男表示，从参演机型来看，歼-10C是中国空军主力装备之一，此次再度走出国门，体现其成熟可靠的实战能力；运-20承担大型运输任务，保障防空装备、航材和技术力量的远程投送。战斗机、预警机、加油机与大型运输机的组合，形成了一套完整的小规模远程部署和实战检验体系。

八 | 王亚男介绍说，在演练课目方面，联合防空在当前国际局势下具有现实意义。

九 | 人道主义救援则是中国军队长期参与的常规课目，经验较为丰富。

十 | 此次联演不仅检验了远程投送和部署能力，也体现了中泰两国在防务领域的务实合作。此外，8月下旬至9月中旬，中国与阿联酋将在新疆和田举行中阿“猎鹰盾牌-2026”空军联合训练，两国空军将开展指挥推演、飞行训练、实兵混编演练等活动。此系中阿两国空军第四次举办该系列联训，旨在提升参训部队技战术水平，深化两军传统友谊与务实合作。 为世界和平贡献正义力量 王亚男表示，解放军与外军联合演训的意义主要体现在两个层面：一是为未来可能的联合行动奠定基础——在反恐、重大国际安全议题上，彼此熟悉才能有效协作；二是联合演训本身有助于增强地区稳定，与友好国家在安全问题上达成一致，并常态化进行军事合作，对地区安全具有保障效应。

十一 | 总体而言，解放军正通过不断提升国际联合演训的水平，构建更加开放、灵活的军事合作格局。对于解放军开始更多地走向海外参加联合演训，宋忠平认为，这代表中国空军的远程投送、空中加油和海外快速部署能力正在持续提升。同时，中国空军也在积累常规作战和非传统安全领域（如反恐、反海盗、人道主义救援、防灾减灾等）的多种能力。