The Chinese Navy test-fired a long-range ballistic missile on Monday, drawing condemnation from other regional powers in Beijing’s growing display of military might.
According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, the missile was launched from a nuclear submarine in the South Pacific. The area is known as a nuclear-free zone due to the 1986 Treaty of Rarotonga, in which signatories agreed not to test nuclear weapons there. China ratified this treaty in 1987.
Australia: China ‘destabilizing’ the South Pacific
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong accused Beijing of “destabilizing” the region during a visit to Fiji to boost defense ties.
“It appears that despite our long-standing concerns about this type of activity, China conducted the test within hours of notifying us that it would be testing,” Winston Peters, New Zealand’s top diplomat, told The Associated Press.
China has said it was conducting “regular” military exercises. Two years ago, it had conducted a similar missile test in the area with a dummy warhead.
Beijing has begun conducting larger and more regular military exercises in the South Pacific in recent years.
Edited by: Kieran Burke