China has conducted a long-range missile test in the South Pacific just hours after Australia signed a defence agreement with Fiji, sparking condemnation from Canberra and regional leaders. The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the missile test was “destabilising” to the region, while her New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, described it as “deeply concerning”.
Missile test details
A Chinese navy statement said a nuclear submarine launched a “strategic missile carrying a training simulation warhead” on Monday, adding it had “accurately land(ed) in the designated sea area”. “This missile test launch is a routine arrangement of China’s annual military training, and relevant countries were informed in advance,” spokesperson Wang Xuemeng said in the WeChat statement. China’s defence ministry did not confirm whether an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was used in Monday’s test.
Timing and regional reaction
The test came just hours after Australia and Fiji signed a major defence alliance, committing each country to come to the other’s aid in the event of an attack. The so-called Ocean of Peace alliance, which is open to other countries to join in the future, is part of Australia’s efforts to deepen ties in the Pacific and push back at Beijing’s attempts to expand its influence in the region. Malcolm Davis, a senior defence analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, was certain the timing of the test was not a coincidence. “[The test] is clearly an indication that China will use military force, or the threat of military force, to try to intimidate and coerce small Pacific states into not seeking closer relations with Australia,” he said.
Australia’s assistant foreign minister, Matt Thistlethwaite, told the ABC the government did not believe there was a link between the alliance announcement and the test. But another federal government source told the Guardian they believed the events were linked. China’s ministry of foreign affairs said the launch was “not directed at any specific country or target”. “Related launch operations were conducted safely, in a standardised manner and professionally. It is hoped that relevant countries will not over-interpret this,” spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters.
Australia and New Zealand express concern
Australia’s acting prime minister, Richard Marles, said China had only informed his country on Monday of its plans to conduct a long-range missile test in the Pacific region, with reports that it was a nuclear-capable device with a dummy warhead. “We were informed by China today of its intention to do this test,” Marles told a press conference. “This is a long-range missile test, and we are very concerned about any actions which undermine the stability, the peace, and security of the Pacific.” Thistlethwaite said Australia was “deeply concerned” and had already “conveyed those concerns to the Chinese government, both in Beijing and in Canberra as well”.
Peters also described the test as “deeply concerning”, and was critical that “China carried out the test within hours of informing us”. “The Pacific is an Ocean of Peace and we are deeply concerned by China’s testing of nuclear-capable weapons into the South Pacific.” A statement from the Japanese government said it had tried to convince China not to fire the test missile, and had “expressed serious concerns over China’s increasing military activity”.
Wong's remarks and regional stability
Wong said she would “leave it to China to speak to its intent” but that Australia had been aware of a Chinese task group in the region “for some time”. “Australia has been clear with China that we regard this as destabilising to the region,” Wong said from Fiji, where she was travelling with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese. “Australia has been clear that this proposal, this proposed test, is in the context of a rapid military buildup by China, which is lacking in the transparency and reassurance as to intent, that the region expects. The Pacific Islands Forum leaders have made clear that they want the Pacific to be an Ocean of Peace. We believe this test is inconsistent with that objective.”
Wong would not confirm whether Australia had been informed about the missile’s potential nuclear capability. On Monday afternoon she said Australia had been informed the test would be “within the next 24 hours”. The test reportedly occurred at about the same time. Speaking to the ABC on Monday evening, Wong said Australian defence attachés in Beijing and officials in Canberra had been briefed by their Chinese counterparts earlier in the day. Australian officials communicated the government’s view, she said. Wong said she expected to discuss the test in her next official engagements with Chinese representatives. “In an era where we see contest and competition, the destabilising acts can lead to miscalculation, can lead where we do not want these actions to lead,” she said.
Previous tests and vessel tracking
China last tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in 2024, a rare event that highlighted the country’s increasing military capabilities. Data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, a New Zealand ship-tracking company, showed three Chinese satellite-tracking vessels positioned throughout the Pacific. Two vessels departed China on about 25 June and now sit near the Federated States of Micronesia. The third departed China in early May and is now at harbour in Fiji’s capital, Suva. “These vessels carry large satellite dishes used to track missile launches and other space activity and are likely in the Pacific to collect data from the missile test China has reportedly notified regional governments to expect within 24 hours,” said Mark Douglas, an analyst for Starboard. Noting the departure times of the Chinese vessels, he added: “This test has been planned well in advance. That said, the notification landing the day after Australia and Fiji signed the Ocean of Peace Alliance is interesting, to say the least.”
