China Test Fires a Submarine Ballistic Missile Into South Pacific
China on Monday test-fired a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the Pacific Ocean, marking its second such publicly announced launch in two years.
China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the missile, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched at 12:01 p.m. local time as part of what the People’s Liberation Army Navy described as routine annual military training.
The report said the missile landed “precisely within the designated waters” but did not disclose the exact location or identify the missile type.
Chinese officials said the launch complied with international law and was not directed at any specific country or target. They added that relevant countries had been notified in advance.
The launch follows a similar test in 2024, when China fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific for the first time in more than four decades.
The latest test drew criticism from several U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said China had informed Canberra before the launch but described the missile test as “destabilizing” for the region.
“Australia has been clear that this proposed test is in the context of a rapid military build-up by China, which is lacking in the transparency and reassurance as to intent that the region expects,” Wong told reporters during a news conference in Suva, Fiji.
Japan also confirmed it received advance notification of the launch and said it had urged Beijing to reconsider.
“We expressed our grave concern over the Chinese military’s increased activity,” the Japanese government said in a statement, according to Kyodo News.
Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said that while the U.S. was “working harder than ever” to prevent nuclear proliferation, China was moving in the opposite direction.
“Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup is of great concern to the region and the world,” he said.
Pigott added that the U.S. would continue urging Beijing to engage in meaningful arms control discussions and commit to a regular notification arrangement for intercontinental ballistic missile and space launches.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed the criticisms and urged governments to “not over-interpret the situation.”
The missile test occurred the same day China and Russia began their annual Joint Sea-2026 naval exercises near the eastern Chinese port of Qingdao, continuing a series of increasingly frequent joint military activities between the two countries.
