John MacDonald: Seeing China's missile test for what it is

Former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp has come out firing today, saying that China’s nuclear-capable missile test yesterday was smack bang inside the South Pacific nuclear-free zone.

Just hours after giving the New Zealand Government a heads-up, China launched a long-range ballistic missile from a submarine into the area. It’s not saying where it was launched from, nor where it landed.

I get where Wayne Mapp is coming from. But there’s a technicality. Which I’ll get to.

It’s being viewed by some as China retaliating to Australia and Fiji signing a new defence alliance, which also happened yesterday.

This is called the Ocean of Peace Alliance.

Anthony Albanese was in Fiji yesterday for that. He’s also heading to the Solomon Islands to continue negotiating a treaty there.

And, when he gets back to Canberra, he’s going to be hosting leaders from Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea.
So, if China was sending a message yesterday, it won’t just be aimed at the Fiji agreement. It’ll also be ticking-off Albanese for his South Pacific charm offensive.

But there’s a chance here that the people jumping up and down about what China did yesterday might look somewhat hypocritical, given the United States did its own missile testing in the South Pacific back in March.

There’s also the fine print in the South Pacific nuclear-free zone agreement. It was originally signed by Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island countries in 1985 and bans the use, testing and possession of nuclear weapons in the South Pacific area.

China signed up to parts of it two years later, in 1987, but didn’t agree to the no-testing part.

So, technically, it was fully within its rights to do what it did yesterday.

Besides which, it was a dummy missile.

Which is why I think we need to calm the farm and see it for what it is.

It’s just a bit of flexing, and the Pacific region is under no greater threat from China than it was before this happened.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
ZB Former Defense Minister Wayne Mapp. He's come out firing
today saying that China's nuclear capable missile test yesterday was
smack bang inside the South Pacific Nuclear Free zone. He's
not impressed. Just hours after giving the New Zealand government
a heads up, China launched this long range ballistic missile

(00:34):
from a submarine into the area. It's not saying where
it was launched from, also not saying where it landed.
The thing is it was a dummy missile, so it
wasn't the real thing Wayne and others. I get where
Wayne's coming from though, but there is a technicality which
I'll get to in a second, and it's been viewed

(00:55):
by some as China retaliating to Australian FIGIs signing that
new defense alliance, which also happened yesterday, so they signed
the dotted line. Bingo, up goes the missile. The alliance
is called the Ocean of Peace Alliance. Sounds great and
Anthony Albanisi straight as Prime Minister, was in Fiji yesterday

(01:17):
for that, and he's also heading to the Solomon Islands
to continue negotiating a treaty there, and then when he
gets back to Canberra, he's going to be hosting leaders
from Tonga, Sama and someone and Papua New Guinea. So
if China was sending a message yesterday, it won't just
be aimed at the Fiji agreement. It'll also be taking

(01:38):
off Albansi for his South Pacific charm offensive, which he's
fully within his rights to do, isn't he. But there's
a chance here that the people jumping up and down
about what China did yesterday might look somewhat hypocritical given
the United States its own missile testing in the South
Pacific back in March. Don't forget that. There's also the

(02:01):
fine print in the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Agreement.
Now it was originally this is what I meant before
about the fish hook or a technicality. So it was
originally signed by Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island countries
in nineteen eighty five, banning the use, the testing, and

(02:21):
the possession of nuclear weapons in the South Pacific area.
Two years later, China signed up to it. All right,
that was in nineteen eighty seven, But they didn't sign
up to all bits of it, all parts of it.
They didn't agree or China didn't agree to the no
testing bit. So technically China was fully within its rights

(02:43):
to do what it did yesterday, besides, which was a
dummy missile, Which is why I think we need to
calm farm and see it for what it is. It's
just a bit of flexing. China is flexing, and the
Pacific region is under no greater threat from China today
than it was before this happened yesterday. Nevertheless, Foreign Minister
Winster Peters he is quote deeply concerned, saying it is

(03:06):
an unwelcome and concerning development, and former Defense Minister Wayne
Mapp as I mentioned here, he agrees, telling Mike this
morning that New Zealand needs to stand up for the region.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
Well, New Zealand opposed the French testing for twenty years
really from the mid seventies to the mid nineties. We
actually took them to the International Court of Justice and
one we declared ourselves nuclear free in ninet eighty five,
and it took about twenty years for the United States
to really become reconciled to this. China is testing part
of its nuclear deterrent in the south of the Civic

(03:40):
Nuclear free Zone, which New Zealand really put together. So
if we're serious about the nuclear free zone, then we
have to oppose it. And ultimately I think China will
get their message. Other nations test their missiles, but they
don't do it in the South Civic Nuclear free Zone.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
And he says Whinston Peters is doing the right thing,
effectively taling China to put its head in in the
most diplomatic way possible. Of course, has a bit more
of what Wayne Mapp said to Mike earlier.

Speaker 3 (04:05):
China has certainly stretched rings on the seas. They are
becoming a global power and are demonstrating that. That is
sort of part of this. But historically the South Pacific
has been nuclear free and that was fought for very hard, indeed,
especially by New Zealand. So Winston Peters is backing up
our history and tradition.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
All right. So just under a month ago, thatt me
remind you, just under a month ago, the Asia New
Zealand Foundation released the details of a survey which found
that New Zealanders trust China and the United States about
the same, but they see the United States as a
bigger threat to US than China. I wonder how those
people are feeling today.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
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