By Taryn Wilson
Bangkok, July 7 (EFE).- China’s conduct over its launch of a ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the waters of the South Pacific was not consistent with international law and a longstanding nuclear-free treaty, foreign governments said Tuesday.
China’s state news agency Xinhua on Monday reported that as part of military training exercises, the country’s navy fired a “submarine-launched strategic missile (SLBM) equipped with a training dummy warhead at 12.01pm (1.01pm Japan time) … successfully hitting its target area precisely.”
It did not say where that target was, but Taiwan’s National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu published a map on social media that claimed the missile’s flight path tracked over the north of the Philippines, landing near Nauru and Tonga.
Amid international criticism following the test, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters on Monday at a regular press conference that it was a “routine military training activity that is not directed at any specific country or target,” that “the countries concerned were informed prior to the launch,” and that it was “consistent with international law and customary international practice.”
“We hope relevant countries will not read too much into it,” she added, according to a foreign ministry transcript.
International alarm
While weapons testing is routine for nuclear powers, China came under fire on Tuesday from foreign governments over its conduct.
When asked by public broadcaster ABC about whether China’s launch complied with international law, as it had claimed, and whether he thought its statement was a correct summary of the incident, Australian minister for Pacific Island Affairs and Defense Industry, Pat Conroy said: “No it’s not, to be honest.”
“First, this has been a destabilizing event, and certainly has drawn criticism from countries in the Pacific and Asia. Secondly, it’s not consistent with the Hague Convention on ballistic missile testing, which would require more notice and greater information provided to countries,” Conroy said.
He also said the warning timeframe given by Beijing was “insufficient,” and indicated it only came a matter of hours beforehand.
In the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara on Tuesday, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters that ordinarily, such a test would come with 48 hours’ notice, which he said was not provided by China.
“There is no doubt that this is a provocative act which does destabilize the region,” he said, according to ABC.
(FILE) Australian Defense Industry Minister, Pat Conroy (L) and RAAF Air Marshal Stephen Chappell (R) are seen during a visit to inspect the Boeing Ghost Bat drone at Australia’s RAAF Base Amberley, in Ipswich, Australia, 27 March 2026. EFE/EPA/DARREN ENGLAND AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT
The Japanese government said China informed it of the upcoming test around 11.30am on Monday (about an hour and a half before the launch), local news agency Kyodo reported, adding that Tokyo conveyed its serious concern about Beijing’s intensifying military activities and demanded a “rethink” of the firing.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters also said Monday the test was carried out “within hours” of Wellington being informed that it would take place.
In addition, he raised concerns on behalf of the nuclear-free country that the test went against the Rarotonga Treaty, which in 1986 established a nuclear-free zone in the South Pacific.
“This missile was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone established by the Treaty of Rarotonga. China’s action goes against the object and intent of that treaty,” Peters said, according to public broadcaster RNZ.
Along with the majority of South Pacific island nations, as well as the US, France, Russia and the United Kingdom, China signed up to Protocols 2 and 3 of that treaty, agreeing not to use, threaten to use, or test nuclear explosive devices against any party to the treaty or in each others’ territories located within the zone.
Anna Powles, an associate professor at Massey University’s Center for Defense and Security Studies in Wellington, told EFE that while China committed not to test nuclear explosive devices within the zone established by the treaty, it “could argue that, as the missile carried a dummy warhead, it technically hadn’t tested a live nuclear explosive device.”
“But it is hard to argue that China has upheld the object and intent of the treaty,” she added.
She said that in 2024, Chinese forces tested an ICBM which splashed down near French Polynesian waters, and last year it conducted live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand.
“China’s actions signal its growing military confidence including its strategic nuclear capabilities. These actions are contributing to an increasingly contested strategic environment in the Pacific,” Powles said.
“Going forward, it is likely that China will continue to demonstrate its military capabilities in a region where it sees itself as a security stakeholder.”
The smaller states in the region have traditionally had a close partnership with their larger neighbors and traditional allies, Australia and New Zealand, however these ties have been tested in recent years during a Chinese diplomatic offensive shoring up bilateral security and infrastructure agreements, such as with the Solomon Islands and the Cook Islands.
These have spurred Australia, in particular, to tighten its longstanding alliances in the region. The missile test on Monday came hours after Albanese signed two defense and security pacts with Fiji, although Minister Conroy said the timing was likely a “coincidence.”
Albanese then flew from Suva to Honiara where on Tuesday he also announced he had discussed a “comprehensive treaty that we are hoping to conclude as soon as possible” as well as an education fund, a MoU with the Solomons police force, and the opening of a health center.
Pacific responds
Speaking alongside Albanese on Tuesday, Solomon Islands prime minister and current chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Matthew Wale, condemned Beijing’s actions.
“China is a good friend of the Solomon Islands, but this is not something a friend does. This is not good in our region,” he said, adding that he had registered his “strong protest” with the Chinese ambassador, while the Solomons lodged a protest note.
“We don’t want to see any more countries — China, America, anybody — testing ICBMs in the Pacific Islands region. That’s the bottom line. Be our friend, don’t threaten us,” he added, according to an official transcript.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale (R) receive garlands during Independence Day celebrations at the National Stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands, 07 July 2026. EFE/EPA/MICK TSIKAS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT
In a statement sent to EFE, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape on Tuesday called on all military powers to respect the Pacific.
“While reaffirming Papua New Guinea’s longstanding friendship with China and its commitment to the One China Policy, Prime Minister Marape said the appeal extends equally to all military powers, urging them to refrain from using Pacific waters for missile testing, weapons trials or any activity that contributes to conflict and militarization,” the statement said.
The region still bears the scars of being used for decades for atmospheric and underground nuclear weapons testing by countries such as the US, the UK and France.
“Our appeal is respectful but firm… The Pacific is our home. It sustains our people, our environment and our future. Let it remain a place of peace, not conflict,” Marape’s statement said.
In a more muted response, Fiji’s government on Tuesday acknowledged China’s advance notification of the missile test and said it “remains firmly committed to the vision of the Pacific as an Ocean of Peace, where dialogue, transparency, mutual respect, and adherence to international law underpin regional security and prosperity. Fiji reaffirms its support for the Rarotonga Treaty and respects any development cooperation in the Pacific Region.”
(FILE) New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters speaks to the media during a press conference within the framework of the informal foreign and security policy cooperation (N5) in Stockholm, Sweden, 29 October 2025. EFE/EPA/Claudio Bresciani/TT SWEDEN OUT
US state department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Washington urged China to “engage in meaningful arms control discussions” and commit to a “regularized notification arrangement for all intercontinental-range ballistic missile and space launches.”
“Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup is of great concern to the region and the world,” Pigott said.
Chinese weaponry
While Beijing did not officially disclose the missile model, and Taiwan reported it as being a JL2 SLBM, experts cited by Chinese state news outlet Global Times said the probability it was a JL3 was “extremely high.”
It said the JL3 was formally unveiled during the Victory Day parade in Beijing on Sep. 3 last year and primarily deployed on Type 094 (Jin-class) nuclear submarines.
The experts suggested that the missile has a range of more than 10,000 kilometers, covering the south and eastern Pacific, and is designed for strategic strikes against enemy command centers, core military installations, and strategic facilities such as energy and economic infrastructure.
The Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post reported this to be the Chinese navy’s first known missile test from a submarine since 1982, and the first ever from a nuclear-powered submarine. EFE
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