BEIJING — China's military on Monday conducted a test launch of a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the South Pacific, marking a rare public demonstration of its sea-based strategic missile capability and prompting criticism from several countries in the region over security and transparency concerns.
State news agency Xinhua said the submarine-launched ballistic missile carried a simulated training warhead and was fired at 12:01 p.m. local time as part of China's annual military training program. The report said the missile landed accurately in a designated area of the Pacific Ocean after relevant countries had been notified in advance.
China's Defense Ministry, repeating Xinhua's statement, said the launch complied with international law and practice and "was not directed against any specific country or target."
The launch drew swift reactions from regional governments. New Zealand said it had been informed only hours before the test and expressed concern that the missile was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone, established under the Treaty of Rarotonga.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Wellington had longstanding concerns about such military activity in the region and objected to the timing and location of the test. Australia also criticized the launch, describing it as destabilizing, while Japan said it remained concerned by China's expanding military activities and called for greater transparency.
According to publicly available assessments cited by defense analysts, the missile was likely one of China's JL-series submarine-launched ballistic missiles, although Chinese authorities did not identify the model. Analysts said the test represented an unusual acknowledgment of an operational submarine-based launch, contrasting with Beijing's historically limited public disclosure of its strategic missile exercises.
The missile test came as strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific continues to intensify. It also coincided with the signing of a new defense agreement between Australia and Fiji aimed at strengthening regional security cooperation, although Chinese authorities did not link the missile launch to that development.
China has accelerated the modernization of its nuclear forces in recent years while maintaining that it follows a "no first use" nuclear policy. Western governments and defense analysts have repeatedly called for greater transparency regarding Beijing's expanding strategic capabilities, while Chinese officials have argued that the country's military development is defensive in nature.
No injuries or damage were reported from Monday's test, and Chinese authorities announced no further missile launches following the exercise.
