{"id":2625376,"date":"2026-07-06T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-test-launches-a-ballistic-missile-in-the-south-pacific-and-raises-regional-concerns\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T07:01:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:01:38","slug":"china-test-launches-a-ballistic-missile-in-the-south-pacific-and-raises-regional-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-test-launches-a-ballistic-missile-in-the-south-pacific-and-raises-regional-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"China test-launches a ballistic missile in the South Pacific and raises regional concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchina-test-launches-a-ballistic-missile-in-the-south-pacific-and-raises-regional-concerns%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2625376&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>China\u2019s navy conducted a rare test of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iranian-president-elect-rejects-biden-meeting-and-refuses-negotiations\/\" title=\"Iranian President-Elect Rejects Biden Meeting and Refuses Negotiations\">long-range ballistic missile<\/a> from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-hostile-regimes-testing-joe-biden-during-his-first-months-in-office\/\" title=\"4 Hostile Regimes ...ing Joe Biden During His First Months In Office\">nuclear-powered submarine<\/a> 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >amid heightened regional tensions<\/a>, 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 \u201cno first use\u201d 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\u2019s growing military capabilities and assertiveness in the region.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BANGKOK (AP) \u2014 China\u2019s navy test-launched a long-range ballistic missile Monday from one of its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-u-k-to-help-australia-get-nuclear-submarines\/\" title=\"U.S., U.K. to help ... get nuclear submarines\">nuclear-powered submarines<\/a> in the South Pacific in a rare move that drew protest and concerns from countries in the region.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-missile-us-taiwan-9eba29cf62b21a19c15a8e119736182c\">firing an intercontinental ballistic missile<\/a> with a dummy warhead. That previous launch in international waters was the first in decades since 1980.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4634467\/airman-arrested-capitol-hill-trump-vance-impeachment\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Airman arrested during Capitol Hill protest urging Trump and Vance\u2019s impeachment<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/4614467\/weak-european-navies-undermining-america\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Weak European navies are undermining America<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4633990\/hegseth-praises-national-guard-ingrate-protesters-heat\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Hegseth praises National Guard\u2019s DC mission despite \u2018ingrate\u2019 protesters and sweltering heat<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2024 launch mirrored testing that the United States does for its own ballistic missile fleet, which experts viewed as an assertion of China\u2019s growing superpower status.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Australia, Japan and New Zealand criticized the launch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt appears that despite our long-standing concerns about this type of activity, China carried out the test within hours of informing us,\u201d Foreign Minister Winston Peters told The Associated Press in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The launch took place the same day <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/australia-fiji-china-defense-alliance-7e9adc96413aecfc1307d6ab978998dd\">Australia and Fiji signed a new mutual defense treaty<\/a> meant to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAustralia has been clear with China that we regard this as destabilizing to the region,\u201d Australia\u2019s Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in Fiji in response to the test.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Japan\u2019s Defense Ministry in a statement conveyed its concern about China\u2019s increasing military activity and asked Beijing to \u201crethink\u201d its missile testing so the projectiles would not fly over Japan or pose other security risks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cChina\u2019s military activities, combined with its lack of transparency, has become a grave concern for Japan and the international society,\u201d Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in Japan, citing Beijing\u2019s active military activities around Japan and its increased military spending.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beijing brushed off the criticism Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe hope that the relevant countries will avoid overinterpretation,\u201d a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China maintains a \u201cno first use\u201d of nuclear weapons policy, but is also actively pursuing nuclear technology and weaponry as part of its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/british-foreign-minister-we-will-maximize-every-last-second-on-getting-the-remainder-of-citizens-out-of-afghanistan\/\" title=\"British Foreign Minister: We will maximize every last second on getting the remainder of citizens out of Afghanistan\">long-term strategy<\/a> to modernize the People\u2019s Liberation Army.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its latest report to Congress on China\u2019s 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 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-military-taiwan-corruption-defense-9c1f0e145a250f2b8bd7f6f3dd4b7083\">on track to field more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China tests submarine-launched missile in South Pacific, sparking regional concern<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2634,"featured_media":2625377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26187290918603.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[40923,4501,82246,82245],"class_list":["post-2625376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-ballistic-missile","tag-china","tag-military-test","tag-south-pacific"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26187290918603.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2634"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2625376"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625376\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2625380,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625376\/revisions\/2625380"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2625377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2625376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2625376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2625376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}