The warning was issued in a December 2025 report by New Zealand's Defence Force and Ministry of Foreign Affairs while they were monitoring a People's Liberation Army navy flotilla in the Philippine Sea."New Zealand officials are in close contact with Australian counterparts and maintaining situational awareness of these vessels," said the document obtained by AFP under freedom of information laws."More broadly we anticipate that Chinese actions, such as the PLA-N task group that transited the Tasman Sea in February and China's launch of an inter-continental ballistic missile into the Pacific in September 2024, will be a persistent feature of our strategic environment."The 15-page report was sent to New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his ministers for defence, foreign affairs, and intelligence.China has directed billions of dollars into defence in recent years, a trend that has unnerved some governments despite Beijing insisting its aims are peaceful.'Incremental expansion'The navy in particular has expanded rapidly as Chinese leaders seek to grow their country's reach in the Pacific, where the United States has long been the predominant military power.
The Renhai-class destroyer Nanchang of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy sails off the coast of Qingdao in eastern China © Mark Schiefelbein / POOL/AFP/File
