China missile test deepens Pacific divide over growing militarisation
Pacific leaders could not agree on a condemnation as the July launch deepened concerns about militarisation and major-power rivalry in the region.
- Pacific Islands foreign ministers meeting in Suva failed to agree on a collective statement condemning China's July nuclear-capable missile test, leaving no unified regional response to the launch.
- Kiribati and Nauru opposed the statement's wording, preventing consensus; both nations deepened ties with Beijing after switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan in 2019 and 2024 respectively.
- Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko called the test "totally inappropriate," while Fiji Foreign Minister Sakiasi Ditoka noted the tension between wanting "to be free of all these war-making paraphernalia" and needing security capabilities.
- New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters blamed foreign influence for the impasse, as regional leaders struggle to uphold the 2025 Ocean of Peace Declaration, which aims to safeguard the region's security agenda.
- Pacific Islands Forum leaders will meet in Palau in three weeks to revisit regional unity and the missile test, as the region navigates increased Chinese naval deployments and US-allied military exercises.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Algemeen Dagblad
bd.nlThe United States and some forty other countries, including the Netherlands, have warned of the dangers of testing ballistic missiles without prior warning. The joint statement comes a month after China fired a nuclear missile into the Pacific Ocean.
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China missile test deepens Pacific divide over growing militarization | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
SUVA, Fiji >> China’s test of a nuclear-capable missile last month has exposed the limits of Pacific leaders’ ambition to make the region an “Ocean of Peace,” free from the crossfire of major-power rivalry.
A Chinese missile test creates new tensions among the Pacific states. A common line is becoming increasingly difficult between security alliances and the desire for peace.
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