The United States on Monday led international concern over China’s latest missile test, warning.
That Beijing’s rapidly expanding nuclear programme poses growing security challenges after it launched a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean. The launch, part of what China described as a routine military exercise, marks another step in Beijing’s military modernisation and comes two years after it fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into waters near French Polynesia—the first such test over international waters in more than 40 years.
Analysts said the latest test demonstrates China’s increasing ability to strike targets far beyond its shores, including the continental United States, at a time when strategic rivalry between Washington and Beijing continues despite efforts to stabilise bilateral ties.
“At a time when the United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation, China is doing the opposite,” US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
“Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup is of great concern to the region and the world,” he added, calling on China to engage in meaningful arms control talks and establish a regular notification mechanism for intercontinental ballistic missile and space launches.
The US has been pushing for China to join future strategic arms-control negotiations following the expiry of the New START treaty with Russia earlier this year. Beijing has consistently rejected those calls, arguing that its nuclear arsenal remains far smaller than those of the United States and Russia.
China defends missile launch
China dismissed criticism of the test, saying it was a scheduled component of its annual military training. Navy spokesperson Wang Xuemeng said in a statement posted on WeChat that “relevant countries were informed in advance” of the launch.
New Zealand confirmed Pacific nations received notification roughly two hours before the missile was fired, although it remains unclear whether the United States received prior notice. According to monitoring groups, the missile—believed to have been launched from a nuclear submarine—splashed down near the Solomon Islands, the Pacific nation that signed a controversial security agreement with Beijing in 2022.
Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the test highlighted China’s growing sea-based nuclear deterrent.
“A test of this length is a major development and would indicate that China is moving toward a significantly more survivable and longer-range sea-based nuclear deterrent capability,” he said, adding that it demonstrates the Chinese navy’s ability to target the US mainland from waters close to China.
Regional unease grows
The launch drew concern from several countries across the Indo-Pacific. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the missile test as “destabilising” for the region, while Japan said it had lodged strong representations with Beijing despite receiving advance notification of the launch.
Tokyo also reiterated its “serious concerns” over China’s expanding military activities amid broader tensions in the region, including over Taiwan. The missile test came on the same day Australia and Fiji signed a new defence treaty aimed at strengthening regional security, although analysts said the overlap was likely coincidental given the long planning involved in strategic weapons testing.
Russia, one of China’s closest strategic partners, defended the launch, calling it Beijing’s “sovereign right” and insisting that China “is not threatening anyone in the world.”
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