China launches long-range ballistic missile from submarine in South Pacific amid regional protests

China’s military conducted a test launch of a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine in the South Pacific on Monday, according to state news agency Xinhua. The missile, equipped with a dummy warhead, was fired at 12:01 p.m. and the launch was described as part of routine annual training that complied with international law and was not aimed at any specific country.

The test follows a similar launch in international waters two years earlier, which was the first intercontinental ballistic missile test in the Pacific since 1980. Experts noted the exercise mirrors United States testing of its own ballistic missile fleet and reflects China’s expanding strategic capabilities.

Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Taiwan issued statements condemning the launch. New Zealand’s foreign minister said the missile was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone, established by the 1986 Treaty of Rarotonga, and that China had informed the government only hours before the test. "It appears that despite our long-standing concerns about this type of activity, China carried out the test within hours of informing us," he said.

Australia’s foreign minister said the country considers the test destabilising for the region, while Japan urged China to reconsider the launch to avoid any threat to its security. Taiwan’s presidential office characterised the test as an attempt to intimidate the international community.

Beijing responded that it hopes other countries will avoid overinterpretation of the exercise. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the launch was routine and complied with international norms.

The launch coincided with the start of the joint China-Russia naval drills “Joint Sea-2026” off the Chinese coast and the signing of a new mutual defence treaty between Australia and Fiji aimed at countering Chinese influence in the Pacific.