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🇦🇺 Australia /Conflict & Security

Australia joins Pacific push to condemn China’s missile test

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Australia and Palau will seek a clear Pacific Islands Forum condemnation of China’s recent ballistic missile test at the leaders’ meeting in Palau.
  • Kiribati and Naoero declined to support a joint statement, arguing that criticism should also address U.S. missile tests near the Marshall Islands.
  • Australia and Palau say China gave inadequate notice and lacked an agreement with affected Pacific nations, while a consensus remains uncertain.

Australia and Palau are pushing Pacific leaders to condemn China’s missile test, despite objections from Kiribati and Naoero that Beijing should not be singled out.

We are trying to be fair.

· Taneti MaamauKiribati’s president explained why his country questioned singling out China over the missile test.

The Pacific Islands Forum meeting concludes in Palau, where leaders are holding their annual retreat at a residence owned by the family of Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. The dispute follows the launch of a missile with a dummy warhead by a People’s Liberation Army Navy submarine in the South China Sea. The missile traveled more than 7,000 kilometers into the Pacific and landed just outside Tuvalu’s exclusive economic zone.

Several Pacific nations issued unusually strong criticism of the test. But Kiribati and Naoero refused to endorse a joint statement at last month’s PIF Foreign Ministers Meeting. Kiribati President Taneti Maamau told parliament that his country had raised concerns with Beijing, while questioning why the Pacific should criticize China when the United States also conducts missile tests near the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

America has been bombing, and testing its bombs … in the Marshall Islands, islands near us, and why don't we ask questions or criticise America?

· Taneti MaamauMaamau compared China’s test with U.S. tests near the Marshall Islands.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected that comparison. He said the United States gives proper notice and has an agreement with the Marshall Islands, while China’s submarine launch occurred with very little notice and near Naoero and Tuvalu. Whipps also said the United States informs the Marshall Islands and asked whether other Pacific nations deserved the same consideration. He questioned why China had fired the missile deep into the South Pacific instead of using the open space between Japan and Guam.

The situations are very different.

· Anthony AlbaneseAustralia’s prime minister rejected the comparison between the Chinese and U.S. tests.

The forum’s previous communique referred briefly to the test, calling for transparency and reassurance on nuclear testing. It is unclear whether leaders will agree on stronger language. Australia has become increasingly pessimistic about reaching consensus, while Whipps says the Pacific needs to present a united position.

What about the rest of us in the Pacific? Don't we deserve the same?

· Surangel Whipps JrPalau’s president argued that Pacific nations should receive the same notification as the Marshall Islands.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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