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🇸🇬 Singapore /Conflict & Security

US leads international concern after China test-fires missile into Pacific

From The Straits Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The US and Australia expressed concern over China's recent test-fire of a dummy missile warhead into the Pacific.
  • This event is seen as part of China's rapid military modernization and raises alarms about its nuclear program's opacity.
  • Analysts suggest the missile test indicates growing Chinese capacity for sea-based nuclear deterrence, potentially targeting the US mainland.

The United States and Australia have voiced significant alarm following China's recent test-fire of a dummy missile warhead into the Pacific Ocean. This action is the latest development in China's swift military modernization and has heightened concerns regarding its nuclear program's rapid and opaque expansion.

At a time when the United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation, China is doing the opposite.

— Tommy PigottU.S. State Department spokesman commenting on China's nuclear program.

U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated, "At a time when the United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation, China is doing the opposite." He added that "Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons build-up is of great concern to the region and the world." The U.S. has urged China to engage in meaningful arms control discussions and commit to notification arrangements for intercontinental-range ballistic missile and space launches.

Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons build-up is of great concern to the region and the world.

— Tommy PigottU.S. State Department spokesman expressing concern over China's military expansion.

Analysts interpret the test, which reportedly landed about 1,000 km northeast of the Solomon Islands, as a demonstration of China's increasing capability for sea-based nuclear deterrence. Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, noted that such a test signifies China moving towards a more survivable and longer-range sea-based nuclear deterrent. "It shows that China’s navy 'is capable of targeting the continental United States from bastions close to Chinese waters,'" Morris said.

A test of this length is a major development and would indicate that China is moving toward a significantly more survivable and longer-range sea-based nuclear deterrent capability.

— Lyle MorrisSenior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute analyzing the missile test.

The missile flew over the Exclusive Economic Zones of several Pacific island states, including the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, and Kiribati. This display of military might occurred on the same day Australia and Fiji signed a major defense treaty, part of Canberra's strategy to counter China's influence in the region, particularly following the controversial security deal between China and the Solomon Islands.

It shows that China’s navy 'is capable of targeting the continental United States from bastions close to Chinese waters'.

— Lyle MorrisSenior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute on China's naval capabilities.
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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