China test-launches a ballistic missile in the South Pacific and raises regional concerns
China’s navy conducted a rare test of a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine in the South Pacific, launching at 12:01 p.m. wiht a dummy warhead. This was only the second Pacific test in recent years, with the previous one occurring two years ago.The test was part of routine training, complying with international law, and was not aimed at any specific country.The launch drew criticism from Australia, Japan, and New Zealand-countries within the nuclear-free zone established by the 1986 Treaty of Rarotonga-who expressed concern over regional stability. New Zealand was informed in advance and highlighted that the missile was fired into a zone where nuclear weapons are prohibited.China defended the test, calling it routine and not overinterpreted by other nations. The incident comes amid heightened regional tensions, especially after Australia and fiji signed a mutual defense treaty to counter Chinese influence. Japan urged China to reconsider its military activities due to security risks. China maintains a “no first use” nuclear policy but is actively modernizing its military, with a meaningful nuclear arsenal and plans to expand its nuclear warhead stockpile substantially by 2030. The test exemplifies China’s growing military capabilities and assertiveness in the region.
BANGKOK (AP) — China’s navy test-launched a long-range ballistic missile Monday from one of its nuclear-powered submarines in the South Pacific in a rare move that drew protest and concerns from countries in the region.
The missile was launched at 12:01 p.m. and carried a dummy warhead, according the official Xinhua News Agency. China last conducted a missile test in the Pacific two years ago, then firing an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead. That previous launch in international waters was the first in decades since 1980.
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The launch was part of routine annual training, complied with international law and practice, and was not directed against any country or target, according to a short statement from Xinhua, which was reposted by the Ministry of Defense.
The 2024 launch mirrored testing that the United States does for its own ballistic missile fleet, which experts viewed as an assertion of China’s growing superpower status.
Australia, Japan and New Zealand criticized the launch.
The New Zealand government said it was informed of the planned launch hours beforehand and noted that the missile was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.
The nuclear-free zone was established by the 1986 Treaty of Rarotonga, which prohibits nuclear weapons throughout the region. China in 1987 ratified the protocols pledging not to test nuclear weapons within the zone or threaten to use them against signatories with territory in the region.
“It appears that despite our long-standing concerns about this type of activity, China carried out the test within hours of informing us,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters told The Associated Press in a statement.
The launch took place the same day Australia and Fiji signed a new mutual defense treaty meant to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific.
“Australia has been clear with China that we regard this as destabilizing to the region,” Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in Fiji in response to the test.
Japan’s Defense Ministry in a statement conveyed its concern about China’s increasing military activity and asked Beijing to “rethink” its missile testing so the projectiles would not fly over Japan or pose other security risks.
“China’s military activities, combined with its lack of transparency, has become a grave concern for Japan and the international society,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in Japan, citing Beijing’s active military activities around Japan and its increased military spending.
Beijing brushed off the criticism Monday.
“We hope that the relevant countries will avoid overinterpretation,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said.
China maintains a “no first use” of nuclear weapons policy, but is also actively pursuing nuclear technology and weaponry as part of its long-term strategy to modernize the People’s Liberation Army.
China has a fleet of six ballistic-missile submarines and 59 nuclear-powered attack submarines, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a Washington-based think tank.
In its latest report to Congress on China’s military capabilities, released in late 2025, the Pentagon said China had an estimated stockpile of around 600 nuclear warheads in 2024, adding that the PLA remains on track to field more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.
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