Beijing announces successful launch of key ballistic missile into the Pacific.

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A Chinese submarine test-fired a “strategic” missile carrying a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, Beijing said, drawing immediate condemnation from nations in the region.

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China made the rare show of its military might on the same day Australia and Fiji signed a major defence treaty, bolstering their ties as Canberra seeks to outmanoeuvre Beijing in the strategically important South Pacific.

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New Zealand described the test as involving a nuclear-capable “long-range ballistic missile”, but China’s defence and foreign ministries did not confirm whether an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) had been used.

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Monday’s test followed two years after China’s elite Rocket Force fired an ICBM into the sea near French Polynesia, its first launch of such a missile over international waters in more than 40 years.

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A nuclear submarine launched a “strategic missile carrying a training simulation warhead” at 12:01 pm (0401 GMT), a Chinese navy statement said, adding that it had “accurately land(ed) in the designated sea area”.

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Alex Luck, a naval analyst focused on Chinese military modernisation, told AFP that the missile could have been the advanced submarine-launched ballistic missile JL-3, an extended-range variant of China’s JL-2.

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The JL-3 was showcased at a military parade in Beijing last September.

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However, Luck said it was “equally plausible” a JL-2 had been tested.

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– ‘Routine arrangement’ –

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Navy spokesperson Wang Xuemeng said in the WeChat statement the test launch was “a routine arrangement of China’s annual military training”, and that “relevant countries were informed in advance”.

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New Zealand’s foreign minister said the launch was carried out “within hours” of his country being told.

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“The Pacific is an Ocean of Peace and we are deeply concerned by China’s testing of nuclear-capable weapons into the South Pacific,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement, adding that the launch “is not consistent with regional stability”.

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Australia also called the launch “destabilising”, while Japan said it had “expressed serious concerns over China’s increasing military activity”.

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Asked about the reactions, China’s foreign affairs ministry said at a regular news briefing on Monday the launch was “not directed at any specific country or target”.

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“Related launch operations were conducted safely, in a standardised manner and professionally. It is hoped that relevant countries will not overinterpret this,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.

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– Boosted defence spending –

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Beijing has stepped up its nuclear development and boosted defence spending in recent years.

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According to the Pentagon, China held more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May 2023 and is likely to have more than 1,000 by 2030.

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Beijing test-fired the missile on the same day that it began annual joint naval exercises with Russia off Qingdao, a major military port and seaside resort in China’s east.

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The two sides plan to conduct “harbour-based planning” such as “exercises in command and tactical coordination”, according to state news agency Xinhua.

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“For the next step, the participating warships will proceed to the sea near Qingdao to conduct drills in areas such as joint reconnaissance, air and missile defence, as well as training in the actual use of weapons,” Xinhua said.

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Papua New Guinea’s foreign minister and a New Zealand government source told AFP earlier on Monday that China was preparing to test-fire a nuclear-capable missile into the Pacific Ocean.

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“Yes, China has briefed me. I was personally called by the Chinese ambassador,” Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said.

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– ICBM test –

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Peters said after the launch that New Zealand was concerned “this now seems to be a recurring pattern”.

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The 2024 ICBM test appeared to be one of China’s advanced Dong Feng-31 missiles, analysts said at the time, a weapon capable of delivering a thermonuclear warhead.

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The long-range missile splashed into part of the ocean long designated a nuclear-free zone under an international treaty.

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New Zealand’s Defence Force has privately warned that Beijing’s naval forays and ballistic missile tests would become a “persistent” feature of the Pacific, according to an internal document obtained by AFP last month.

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Luck said: “The Chinese nuclear powered submarine fleet has over the past few years undergone a significant push for modernisation and expansion.”

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“In line with this trend we should expect a significant increase in missile testing and the frequency of such tests getting conducted.”

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Pacific island nations remain deeply scarred by the US, British and French nuclear tests in the region in the decades after World War II.

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China has been seeking to increase its influence in the region, showering islands with new hospitals, freshly paved roads and gleaming sports stadiums.

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AFP

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