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🇸🇬 Singapore /Conflict & Security

China test fires missile into Pacific, alarming regional powers

From The Straits Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency New plan
  • China test-fired a missile from a submarine into the Pacific, alarming regional powers.
  • Japan, Australia, and New Zealand expressed deep concern over the "destabilizing" launch.
  • China described the missile test as a routine military exercise, but regional nations are concerned about its military buildup and transparency.

China's military conducted a missile test from a submarine into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, a move that has alarmed regional powers including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. The People's Liberation Army Navy launched a missile carrying a dummy warhead toward international waters at 12:01 p.m. Beijing time, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.

Australia has been clear that this proposed test is in the context of a rapid military buildup by China, which is lacking in the transparency and reassurance as to intent that the region expects

— Penny WongAustralian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated Australia's concerns about the missile test and China's broader military expansion.

Xinhua characterized the launch as a "routine arrangement" within China's annual military training, stating it was not directed at any specific country. However, regional governments have voiced significant concerns. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the test as "destabilizing" for the region, noting that while China had notified Australia, the launch occurred within the context of China's rapid military expansion, which lacks the transparency expected by regional nations.

Japan's government expressed "grave concern" over increased Chinese military activity and urged China to reconsider such actions. The Japanese Coast Guard had been informed of potential falling space debris within Japan's exclusive economic zone, though reports indicated the missile landed outside this zone. New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters echoed these concerns, calling the test an "unwelcome and concerning development" and stating that New Zealand, along with other Pacific nations, does not want the South Pacific to become a testing ground for Chinese missile capabilities.

We expressed our grave concern over the Chinese military's increased activity

— Japanese government spokespersonJapan's government conveyed its serious apprehension regarding China's heightened military actions.

This event follows China's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in 2024, which highlighted the nation's growing military prowess. The latest submarine-launched missile test further fuels regional anxieties about China's military modernization and its intentions in the Indo-Pacific.

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

— Winston PetersNew Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressed his country's deep concern and opposition to China using the South Pacific for missile testing.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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