China Test-Fires a Submarine-Launched Missile Into the Pacific, Drawing Regional Protests

China conducted a rare test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, prompting criticism from New Zealand and Australia. A People's Liberation Army Navy submarine fired a strategic missile carrying a dummy warhead that landed in designated high-seas waters, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Beijing described the launch as a routine part of annual training, conducted under international law and aimed at no specific country, and said relevant nations were notified in advance.

Neighboring governments saw it differently. New Zealand's foreign minister, Winston Peters, said the missile fell within the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone established under the 1986 Treaty of Rarotonga, according to CNN. The New York Times reported that the test coincided with Australia securing additional defense agreements with Pacific Island nations, and that several countries voiced concern. In Tokyo, the government said it was on full alert, with remarks from the defense minister reported by Jiji Press stressing vigilance.

The demonstration of a sea-based nuclear delivery capability, into a region that has treated itself as nuclear-free for four decades, adds momentum to an arms buildup already under way across the Indo-Pacific.