NZ 'should not be fazed' by any objection to Pacific defence alliance

The Foreign Minister says China might call it an act of provocation to join the Ocean of Peace Alliance, but New Zealand should not be fazed.

Winston Peters has just returned from Singapore and Japan, where he discussed China's ballistic missile test, and says normalising such a test as regular activity is not acceptable.

"It's important that Pacific countries and those that are seriously concerned about the long-term implications of such potential behaviour are resisted right here and right now, and that's what we're doing," Peters told RNZ.

He said "China does what China does if it gets away with it", but if there was resistance, the direction could be different in the future. If there was no resistance, "it's likely to carry on."

Last week, China test-launched a long-range ballistic missile with a dummy warhead, which the Prime Minister said was unacceptable.

RNZ understands the missile flew over the Exclusive Economic Zones of the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Tuvalu and Kiribati, and landed in waters near Tuvalu and Kiribati.

The missile firing came shortly after a new defence treaty was signed between Australia and Fiji, which the New Zealand government has since signalled its interest in joining.

Speaking to Morning Report on Monday, Peters confirmed New Zealand is in exploratory talks with Australia and Fiji about joining their military alliance.

He acknowledged China might say its an act of provocation, but that was just a statement the country would make automatically "whether it's true or not."

"That's the reality, and we should not be fazed by that.

"They're going to make statements like that. And the next question for us is: It's called the Pacific. The Pacific means a certain thing.'

He said the blue continent was a peaceful zone and the Pacific region had a right to ensure that, and insist it remained that way.

"If any country objects to that, well, that's the way it is. But we're not going to change our view of the theatre-front yard in which we live."

Asked about China calling Australia's AUKUS participation provocative and destabilising, Peters suggested it was "highly performative" and of "no value at all in terms of the substance of the matter" to call updating military equipment provative and destabilising.

"They would have made the same complaint 40 years ago when we were updating then, surely to be consistent.

"Now, this new type of PR propaganda approach on world affairs has certain features, but whether it's got any integrity or merit is another matter."

He said New Zealand supports peace, but not at any price.

On joining the Ocean of Peace Alliance, he maintained it would need to be a cabinet decision, after various factors were considered such as what it meant for New Zealand, what New Zealand could contribute and what assistance factors look important to the countries as a united group.

What New Zealand would want, he said, would be interoperability and joint procurement, so the countries could work together.

Peters wouldn't be drawn on whether it was his expectation New Zealand would join the alliance, "we would hope that we could get to that position, but we'll have to wait and see until the discussions are over."

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