Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

Recently, Australia and New Zealand held the third Australia-New Zealand Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations (ANZMIN 2+2) and issued a joint statement. What is baffling is that the document - one that should have focused on bilateral cooperation - was instead permeated with an outdated Cold War mind-set. It even included unwarranted accusations regarding China's internal affairs, fully exposing a kind of colonial-style arrogance.

Their stance on China-related issues is by no means incidental, but rather reflects a long-standing and repeatedly performed political inertia. Under the alliance system led by the US, Australia and New Zealand have increasingly embedded themselves in a narrative framework centered on "bloc confrontation," portraying China as an "imaginary enemy" or a "systemic challenge." At its core, this mind-set extends the binary opposition of the Cold War era, reducing complex and diverse international relations to a simplistic zero-sum game of "I win, you lose," while continuously manufacturing topics and amplifying differences on issues such as security and human rights. The problem is that such Cold War thinking has long been abandoned by the tide of history. If Australia and New Zealand remain obsessed with this outdated approach, they are not only misjudging China, but also misreading the times.

More concerning is the ill intent of both countries to shift blame and divert attention. In recent years, both countries have been plagued by recurring scandals related to domestic governance, human rights protection, and the treatment of racial minorities. Yet their joint statement remains silent on their own problems, while eagerly assuming the role of a "judge of human rights" when it comes to China. This kind of "blame-shifting diplomacy" may appear tough on the surface, but is hollow at its core. It does nothing to address their own deeply rooted human rights issues and, more seriously, undermines their credibility in the international community.

Ironically, such accusations, often made in the name of "rules" or "values", are accompanied by a brazen form of selective blindness. When addressing the situation in Iran, the statement by Australia and New Zealand turns a blind eye to the US and Israel launching military strikes in blatant violation of international law, causing civilian casualties, while unilaterally condemning "Iran's reckless and indiscriminate attacks on countries in the region." Such double standards of forbidding others to do what it is doing itself expose their hypocrisy on issues of peace and justice. Even more absurdly, the statement accuses China of engaging in "destabilising activities" in the South China Sea. Yet who is it that travels thousands of miles to flex military muscle and stir up trouble there? The so-called "rules-based international order" has, in their rhetoric, become a tool to be selectively applied rather than a principle to be universally upheld.

At a deeper level, the words and actions of Australia and New Zealand reveal a lingering colonial mind-set. They remain accustomed to adopting a condescending posture, passing judgment on other countries' development paths and internal affairs, ignoring the reality that the world has already entered a new era marked by multipolarity and the rise of the Global South. Plagued by frequent economic and social problems, they are highly dependent on other countries in the security field and finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their original influence. However, they insist on seeking attention and attempting to act as "judges" when it comes to the right to speak on international issues. This is not only absurd, but also pitiable. Their behavior reveals the deep, helpless anxiety of the "colonial masters."

The times have long changed. That outdated posture of acting as self-appointed "masters" is overdue for retirement. Against the backdrop of profound shifts in the global landscape, the Asia-Pacific has become the most dynamic engine of global growth because countries pursue cooperation amid differences and seek development through mutual benefit. If Australia and New Zealand remain trapped in outdated colonial fantasies and continue down the wrong path, they will ultimately miss out on historic opportunities and be reduced to mere pieces on others' strategic chessboards.