Pacific Islands Denounce China Missile Test Landing in 'Blue Continent'

Pacific nations have strongly denounced China's recent submarine-launched ballistic missile test, asserting that the projectile landed in the heart of their shared "blue continent." The criticism comes despite some island states being indebted to Beijing for infrastructure projects.

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We have missiles going right into the heart of the Pacific, unannounced.

Palau's President Surangel Whipps expressed alarm, stating that missiles are now landing "right between our EEZs" without prior notification. He questioned why the test could not have been conducted over the vast expanse of international waters to the north of the Pacific Ocean. The missile, reportedly carrying a dummy warhead, landed in a patch of international waters situated between Nauru, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands.

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What happens in any part of this ocean vibrates through all of us.

China has defended the test, claiming it was not directed at any country and did not violate international law. However, the incident has amplified regional concerns about security and the impact of major power military activities on the Pacific. The concept of a "Blue Pacific continent" is deeply significant for the region, representing a shared home and collective stewardship of the ocean, which is integral to the identity and survival of its people.

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You have to shift your perspective from a map of dispersed and isolated islands to one where the ocean itself is the living fabric that binds us all together.

Pacific security expert Anna Naupa noted that despite historical fragmentation due to colonialism, the idea of a unified Pacific identity persists. The region's nations, comprising 18 member states of the Pacific Islands Forum, see themselves as custodians of 20 percent of the Earth's surface, managing vital fisheries and confronting climate change across their combined exclusive economic zones (EEZs) spanning 25 million square kilometers.

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Our seas are not an empty void or a buffer zone between global powers -- they are our estate, our livelihood, and our identity as stewards of the sea.