China Test-Fires Ballistic Missile From Sub in South Pacific
Regional governments condemned the launch as destabilizing, and New Zealand said China gave only hours of warning before firing the missile.
- On Monday, July 6, 2026, China's navy test-launched a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the South Pacific, with the Xinhua News Agency characterizing it as a "routine arrangement" of annual training involving a dummy warhead.
- The launch occurred the same day Australia and Fiji signed the Ocean of Peace alliance, a mutual defence treaty aimed at countering regional Chinese influence, prompting immediate criticism from Pacific leaders.
- New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the missile landed within the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone and was "not consistent with regional stability," adding that Beijing informed his government only hours before launch.
- Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the test "destabilising" due to lack of transparency, while Japan urged China to reconsider; an internal New Zealand Defense Force document warned such tests may become a "persistent" regional feature.
- This test follows China's September 2024 ICBM launch, reflecting broader modernization as the Pentagon reports Beijing aims to field more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, suggesting normalization of long-range missile launches in international waters.
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375 Articles
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