Albanese warns China’s submarine‑launched ICBM test threatens Pacific stability

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned that China’s recent weapons test in the Pacific could fuel dangerous nuclear proliferation. The intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched on Monday, carried a dummy warhead and is capable of inflicting “considerable damage” if weaponised.

International condemnation has mounted since Xinhua reported that a “strategic missile carrying a dummy warhead” was fired from a “strategic nuclear submarine of the navy” on Monday.

During a visit to the Solomon Islands, Albanese expressed concern that the test—conducted shortly after a new Pacific security treaty—could undermine regional peace and stability.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale called the incident “further evidence for the need” for a new regional security pact as Beijing expands its influence across the Pacific.

Albanese pledged that Australia would continue to voice strong concerns to China over any actions that destabilise the region or threaten peace.

“The fact that this was a test of a nuclear‑capable intercontinental ballistic missile, fired from a nuclear‑powered submarine, is of real concern,” he said.

“We need less nuclear weapons, certainly not more,” he added.

“The nature of the weapon that was tested 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 Honiara and ahead of hosting a trio of Pacific leaders in Brisbane on Wednesday.

Wale, acting as chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, said he had lodged a “strong protest” directly with China’s ambassador, urging that China be a friend but not a threat.

Australian and U.S. officials stated that the test was conducted with insufficient notice and did not comply with international law.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning defended the launch as a routine part of annual military training, conducted safely and in accordance with international practice, and urged others not to over‑interpret.

China’s Missile Launch Described as a ‘Destabilising Event’

Australian Minister for Defence Industry and Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy dismissed China’s justification. In an ABC Radio interview he said the launch was “not consistent with The Hague Convention on ballistic missile testing, which would require more notice and greater information” and called it a destabilising event.

He noted that China had provided only hours’ notice and that Australia had been briefed shortly before the launch. Conroy reiterated Australia’s call for China to abide by the Hague Convention.

Xinhua reported the PLA navy’s statement that the missile was fired toward relevant high seas of the Pacific Ocean and landed precisely within designated waters, without specifying a location. Taiwanese security official Joseph Wu posted a map showing the missile’s trajectory south‑east of China, over the Philippines, Micronesia and Palau, landing south of Nauru. He described it as a provocation that destabilises the Indo‑Pacific.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott urged China to engage in meaningful arms‑control talks and adopt a regular notification arrangement for all intercontinental‑range ballistic missile and space launches, warning that Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear buildup is a great concern.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the test was “not particularly close” to Australia but emphasized its significance: “This is China demonstrating a much greater range in terms of being able to deploy a nuclear weapon.” He added that China’s dramatic military buildup remains fundamentally destabilising.

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