Australia and New Zealand are seeking an explanation from China about its test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific.
Both countries said they were concerned by any action that was destabilizing and raised the risk of miscalculation in the Pacific. New Zealand said Australia would join it in discussing the launch and sharing views with Pacific Island Forum representatives at the United Nations General Assembly this week.
The Chinese military successfully launched the intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, its first such test in more than 40 years.
ICBMs are primarily designed to carry nuclear warheads, and China’s latest generation ICBM — Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) — has an operational range of between 12,000 kilometers and 15,000 kilometers (7,500- 9,300 miles), which means it can reach the U.S. mainland.
China's defense ministry said in a statement that the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force successfully launched an ICBM carrying a training simulated warhead into the high seas of the Pacific Ocean early on Wednesday.
“It accurately landed in the designated sea area,” the ministry said.
It was not clear what type of ICBM was tested.
The ministry said that the launch was a routine arrangement of the force’s annual military training, “in line with international law and international practice, and is not aimed at any specific country or target.”
Associated Press reported a map published in Chinese newspapers showed the target area as roughly a circle in the center of a ring formed by Solomon Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Western Samoa, Fiji, and Vanuatu.
China’s Xinhua News Agency said relevant countries had been notified about Wednesday’s test launch in advance but it did not elaborate.
A spokesman for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told RFA affiliate BenarNews that Wellington had been notified beforehand through its embassy in Beijing, but he did not know about other countries.
He said New Zealand was gathering further information on “the unwelcome and concerning development.”
“Pacific leaders have clearly articulated their expectation that we have a peaceful, stable, prosperous, and secure region. As part of the region, New Zealand strongly supports that expectation,” he said.
New Zealand would be notifying Pacific partners of the information it had in relation to the launch and he understood Australia would be doing the same, he said.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that Canberra was consulting regional partners about the missile test.
“The Australian Government has sought an explanation from China,” a spokesman told BenarNews.
“The launch comes in the context of China’s rapid military build-up, which is taking place without the transparency and reassurance that the region looks for from great powers.”
Guam reaction
In Guam, where the Chinese missile likely passed over on Wednesday, congressional candidates said threats from the People’s Liberation Army underscored the urgency of bolstering Guam’s defense system.
James Moylan, Guam's delegate to Congress, said the latest missile launch from Beijing highlighted the need for American lawmakers to support funding for the $500 million missile defense system being proposed by the Department of Defense to provide a 360-degree protection for the territory.
“While some residents may be concerned with the presence of this 360-degree defense system on the island, the reality is that we live in a different time and era with adversaries who are not just a few hours away proximity-wise but also have specific capabilities,” said Moylan, who is seeking reelection.
His challenger, Ginger Cruz. agreed. “We must dramatically expand funding for Guam’s civil defense, homeland security, and National Guard,” she said.
Esther Aguigui, the governor’s special assistant for homeland security, said in a statement that “no immediate threat” from the ICBM launch was assessed for Guam.
“Events such as these will continue to be monitored by our office, while working with local, military, and federal partners,” she added.
China’s first publicly known ICBM test launch was in May 1980 when it fired at least two missiles into the South Pacific as a gesture of deterrence to the Soviet Union. Since then, the PLA has not announced any further tests.
In its 2023 China Military Power report, the Pentagon said that China had completed construction on at least 300 ICBM silos in 2022. It also said that as of May 2023, it had more than 500 operational nuclear warheads, and that number would likely grow to more than 1,000 by 2030.
With the ICBM test, China was sending the signal that it was going to continue to build up its global nuclear capabilities, said Richard Fisher, a senior researcher who specializes in Asian military affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, a U.S. think tank.
“China's ICBM test is another reminder that the world is moving into a new era of nuclear weapon competition, and in order to deter China and Russia, it is necessary — vitally necessary — for the United States to increase its nuclear arsenal,” he told Radio Free Asia.
BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.