China Tests Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile in Pacific, Drawing Regional Concern

China successfully test-fired a long-range ballistic missile equipped with a dummy warhead in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, marking the first such launch in two years, according to state media Xinhua.

The missile was launched from a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine and accurately struck its designated target in the Pacific, Xinhua reported. The launch occurred at 12:01 p.m. Beijing time and was characterized by Chinese authorities as “not directed against any specific country or target.”

The timing coincided with Australia and Fiji announcing a mutual defense treaty and regional security alliance, representing part of a broader pattern of defense agreements that analysts view as responses to China’s expanding regional influence.

Regional governments were notified of the missile test in advance. The previous test in September 2024, when China fired an intercontinental ballistic missile across the Pacific toward waters near French Polynesia, had already raised alarms among neighboring nations.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressed concern, stating the test reflected “a recurring pattern by China” and warning that the South Pacific should not become a testing ground for Chinese missile capabilities.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong condemned the launch as destabilizing, citing China’s rapid military modernization and lack of transparency regarding its strategic intentions.

Japanese officials voiced serious concern over the intensified military activities and urged China to reconsider such actions.

Chinese authorities did not specify the missile type tested. Experts suggest the launch likely involved the JL-3, a next-generation submarine-launched ICBM displayed in China’s recent military parade.

Strategic analysts believe this test signals an increase in China’s nuclear-capable weapon trials going forward. “It suggests a new era of testing where every system will get its moment in the sun,” observed Jeffrey Lewis, a Middlebury College scholar specializing in Chinese nuclear modernization.

Lewis noted that historically, China conducted fewer ICBM tests due to political considerations, but this approach appears to be changing. “They’re willing to pay the political costs of that in a way that they weren’t in the past,” he said.

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