China's ballistic missile test in South Pacific raises regional concerns

By — Huizhong Wu, Associated Press Huizhong Wu, Associated Press By — Charlotte Graham-McLay, Associated Press Charlotte Graham-McLay, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/chinas-ballistic-missile-test-in-south-pacific-raises-regional-concerns Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter China's ballistic missile test in South Pacific raises regional concerns World Jul 6, 2026 1:35 PM EDT BANGKOK (AP) — China's navy test-launched a long-range ballistic missile Monday from one of its nuclear-powered submarines in the South Pacific, a rare act that drew protests and concern from countries in the region. The missile carried a dummy warhead, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. China last conducted a missile test in the Pacific two years ago, firing an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead, the first since 1980. The 2024 launch mirrored the testing the United States conducts for its own ballistic missile fleet, which experts viewed as an assertion of China's growing superpower status. Monday's launch, at 12:01 p.m. local time, was part of routine annual training, complied with international law and practice and was not directed against any country or target, according to a short statement from Xinhua, which was reposted by the Ministry of Defense. Australia, Japan and New Zealand express criticism Beijing's militarization has drawn concerns, and Australia, Japan and New Zealand criticized the launch. The New Zealand government said it was informed hours beforehand and noted that the missile was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone. The zone was established by the 1986 Treaty of Rarotonga, which prohibits nuclear weapons throughout the region. China ratified the protocols in 1987, pledging not to test nuclear weapons within the zone or threaten to use them against signatories with territory in the region. READ MORE: Xi touts China's rapid industrialization as model for developing nations "It appears that despite our long-standing concerns about this type of activity, China carried out the test within hours of informing us," Foreign Minister Winston Peters told The Associated Press in a statement. The launch took place the same day Australia and Fiji signed a new mutual defense treaty meant to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific. "Australia has been clear with China that we regard this as destabilizing to the region," Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in Fiji in response to the test. Japan's Defense Ministry in a statement expressed concern about China's increasing military activity and urged Beijing to "rethink" its missile testing so that the projectiles would not fly over Japan or pose other security risks. "China's military activities, combined with its lack of transparency, have become a grave concern for Japan and the international society," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in Japan, cit