China has hit back at New Zealand over an official defence strategy paper, which named it as a threat.
Defence Minister Ron Mark's rebooted Strategic Defence Policy Statement, released on Friday, explicitly states the threat it believes China poses to the international community.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have often been careful not to specifically call out the country when talking about international tensions in the South China Sea, or over development spending in the Pacific.
But the defence statement explicitly listed what the Government saw as potential threats posed by China.
On Friday, Mark said the statement would come as no surprise to China. But on Monday, Peters said the Chinese Government had made clear its concern over the paper, both through its ambassador in Wellington and New Zealand's ambassador in Beijing, but played down the significance of this.
China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had "lodged stern representations with New Zealand on the wrong remarks it has made on China".
"We urge New Zealand to view the relevant issue in an objective way, correct its wrong words and deeds and contribute more to the mutual trust and cooperation between our two countries," she said.
Mark's paper said "both domestically and as a basis for international engagement, China holds views on human rights and freedom of information that stand in contrast to those that prevail in New Zealand".
It went on to say "not all major powers' aspirations can be shaped in accordance with the rules-based order, in the way that had been hoped until recently".
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But Chunying said socialism "with Chinese characteristics" was the choice of the Chinese people. "We will unswervingly follow this path," she said.
"China is always a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a champion of the international order."
She described China's position on the South China Sea as "consistent and clear-cut".
"China's constructions in its own territory by the South China Sea are completely justified and legitimate. Nobody is in the position to make irresponsible remarks on that."
Peters, Ardern and Mark have all spoken about China's growing influence in the Pacific - the impetus for Peters' flagship pacific reset.
The Government has spoken about China's development spending, and the implications of debt burdens placed on Pacific nations.
China has stepped up its development spending in the region in recent years, giving over a billion dollars in direct grants and concessionary loans.
The country funded the construction of a new airport in Samoa and Tonga's new Prime Ministerial palace.
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But China said the country's development did not pose a threat to others.
"Instead, it will provide other countries around the globe with important opportunities," Chunying said.
This strong response from China is echoed in the Global Times Daily - a tabloid of the People's Daily, one of the official newspapers of the Communist Party of China.
A Global Times headline says: "Australia, New Zealand should avoid misrepresenting China's role".
The piece said the US was working to drive a wedge between China and Asia-Pacific Countries, which had further destabilised the Pacific region.
The article claimed China was "seeking every opportunity to cooperate with regional countries for fairer orders", and said "China's role in the South Pacific is actually welcomed by a majority of countries there".
The current government was "far more candid and honest" than previous ones, he said, but was mostly continuing on with the same foreign policy outlook.
"We're not here to make people happy. We're here to be a responsible international citizen," he said.
On Friday Mark said the more frank stance would not come as a surprise to China, which would respect New Zealand's "forthrightness."
"We respect each other more by virtue of the fact we have an open conversation, as opposed to talking about things behind each others' backs," Mark said.
"There's a price for having independence of mind, there's a responsibility for being open and frank," Mark said.
Meanwhile, Mark has also announced the purchase of four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, with submarine-hunting technology, and increased combat capability.
