Australian PM says Chinese missile test could have caused ‘considerable damage’ if weaponised

A strategic missile launched by a submarine of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy bursts out of the water during a test on Monday. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen A strategic missile launched by a submarine of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy bursts out of the water during a test on Monday. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock Australian PM says Chinese missile test could have caused ‘considerable damage’ if weaponised Solomon Islands prime minister says he doesn’t want to see more countries testing ICBMs in Pacific, adding ‘be our friend but don’t threaten us’ Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has said China’s weapons test in the Pacific risks fuelling dangerous nuclear proliferation, with the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fired on Monday capable of causing “considerable damage” if weaponised. International condemnation has grown overnight after China’s state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday that a “strategic missile carrying a dummy warhead” had been launched from a “strategic nuclear submarine of the navy”. Speaking during a visit to Solomon Islands, the Australian leader said he was concerned this week’s test, conducted in the wake of a new Pacific treaty alliance , could undermine peace and stability in the region. What does China’s long-range missile test in the South Pacific mean for Australia? | David Vallance Read more The Solomons leader, Matthew Wale, described the incident as “further evidence for the need” for a new regional security pact as Beijing seeks to expand its influence across the Pacific. Albanese said Australia would continue to express strong concerns to China over any move to destabilise the region or undermine peace. “There is no doubt that this is a provocative act by China which does destabilise the region,” he said. “The fact that this was a test of a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, fired from a nuclear powered submarine, that is of real concern. “What we need is a less nuclear weapons, certainly not more. “Part of the concerns that we will express is the nature of the weapon that was tested that has a capacity clearly to reach at long range and to cause considerable, considerable damage were it to be weaponised.” Albanese spoke after Independence Day celebrations in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara, and ahead of hosting a trio of Pacific leaders in Brisbane on Wednesday. Wale said he had registered a “strong protest” directly to China’s ambassador in his role as the chair of the Pacific Islands Forum. “China is a good friend of Solomon Islands. But this is not something a friend does. “We don’t want to see any more countries – China, America, anybody – testing their ICBM’s in the Pacific Islands region. That’s the bottom line, be our friend but don’t threaten us.” Officials in Australia and the US said on Tuesday China’s missile test did not comply with international law and was conducted with “insufficient notice” to nearby countri