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Submarine missile test
China test-launched a long-range ballistic missile from one of its nuclear-powered submarines into the South Pacific on Monday, a rare act that drew protests and concern from countries in the region.
“at 12:01 p.m. local time, the Chinese navy launched a “strategic” missile”
Xinhua reported that at 12:01 p.m. local time the Chinese navy launched a “strategic” missile from a nuclear submarine carrying a dummy warhead, and said it “accurately hit the designated waters.”
The Chinese navy said the launch was a routine test carried out as part of the Chinese military’s annual training program, and that it was “not directed against any country or target,” according to Xinhua.
The test also coincided with the start of an annual naval drill with Russia, with the “Joint Sea-2026” exercise beginning in the eastern Chinese port of Qingdao, according to Beijing’s defense ministry statement as reported by AFP.
In the United States’ view, the launch was monitored by the U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott, who said China’s “rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup is of great concern to the region and the world.”
Regional alarm and quotes
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong condemned the test as “destabilising” to the region, while New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters called it “deeply concerning” and said it appeared to be a “recurring pattern” from China.
Peters said, “New Zealand considers this an unwelcome and concerning development,” and added that “We, like our neighbors in other Pacific countries, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability.”
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara criticized China at a press conference in Tokyo, saying it is "continuously increasing its defense spending at a high rate without sufficient transparency" and expanding its nuclear missile capabilities.
In response, China’s state news agency Xinhua said the test was a “routine arrangement” of China’s annual military training and that it “accurately hit the designated waters,” while a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said, “We hope that the relevant countries will avoid overinterpretation.”
The Australian government also linked the episode to broader concerns about transparency, with Wong arguing the region expects “the transparency and reassurance as to intent that the region expects,” even after China notified Australia of plans in advance.
What’s at stake next
The test sharpened scrutiny of China’s nuclear and missile posture, with the U.S. State Department urging China “to engage in meaningful arms control discussions” and to commit to “a regularized notification arrangement” for intercontinental-range ballistic missile and space launches.
“Beijing had about 600 nuclear warheads in 2024, and at its current pace that number is expected to reach 1,000 by 2030”
The Pentagon’s reporting cited in the coverage put numbers on the broader nuclear stakes, with China having “about 600 nuclear warheads in 2024” and expected to reach “1,000 by 2030,” according to the Pentagon’s latest report referenced in the accounts.
CNN reported that the PLA Navy operates two types of submarine-launched ballistic missiles, the JL-2 and the JL-3, and said the latter has sufficient range to reach the continental United States from waters off the coast of China, including the South China Sea.
In the Pacific, the launch was framed against the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone established in 1986 by the Treaty of Rarotonga, with CNN noting China signed protocols II and III of the pact in 1987.
Taiwan’s presidential office also weighed in, with Reuters reporting that it said China was trying to intimidate the international community by test-firing the ICBM, while Beijing brushed off criticism and said it hoped countries would avoid overinterpretation.
