China test-fires missile into Pacific, alarming regional powers
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China last tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in 2024.
PHOTO: AFP
- China is preparing to test fire a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead in the South Pacific within 24 hours, notifying regional governments including Australia.
- Australia and Fiji signed a major defence alliance the same day, pledging mutual support if either country is attacked.
- Chinese satellite-tracking vessels are positioned in the Pacific to collect data from the missile test, indicating the launch was planned well in advance according to analysts.
AI generated
BEIJING – China’s military test-fired a missile from a nuclear submarine into the Pacific on July 6, state media reported, drawing criticism and concerns from Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
A nuclear submarine of the People’s Liberation Army Navy launched the missile carrying a dummy warhead towards international waters in the Pacific at 12.01pm, China’s official Xinhua news agency said.
The missile landed in “designated waters”, it added, without giving further details of the location.
Xinhua described the launch as a “routine arrangement” of China’s annual military training and said it was not directed against any specific country or target.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said China had notified the government of the planned test, but said the launch was “destabilising” for the region.
“Australia has been clear that this proposed test is in the context of a rapid military build-up by China, which is lacking in the transparency and reassurance as to intent that the region expects,” Wong told reporters at a news conference in the Fijian capital Suva.
Japan’s government said it received notification of the missile launch and urged China to reconsider the exercise.
“We expressed our grave concern over the Chinese military’s increased activity,” Tokyo said, adding that Japan’s Coast Guard had been notified on July 5 by the Chinese authorities about falling space debris that could fall within Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Kyodo news agency on July 5 reported, citing a Japanese government source, that the missile had landed outside Japan’s EEZ.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the country was deeply concerned by the test, adding that it had been informed “within hours” of the launch.
“New Zealand considers this an unwelcome and concerning development. We, like our neighbours in other Pacific countries, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability,” Peters said in a statement.
China last tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in 2024, a rare launch that highlighted the country’s increasing military capabilities. REUTERS
