China Test-Launches A Ballistic Missile From A Nuclear Submarine In The South Pacific

China's People's Liberation Army Navy test-launched a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine in the South Pacific on Monday, a rare move that drew immediate condemnation from New Zealand, Australia and Japan and raised concerns about Chinese military power projection in the region.

The missile was launched at 12:01 PM Beijing time with a dummy warhead and landed precisely within its designated target area in the open Pacific, according to the PLA Navy and China's official Xinhua News Agency.

Beijing described the test as "a routine part of China's annual military training schedule," said it was "not directed against any specific country or target" and said relevant nations were informed in advance.

That advance notice turned out to be hours, not days, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said China informed them of the planned launch hours beforehand, calling it an inadequate warning.

"It appears that despite our long-standing concerns about this type of activity, China carried out the test within hours of informing us," Peters said.

Peters also noted the missile landed in waters within the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone established by the 1986 Treaty of Rarotonga, a zone China pledged in 1987 not to use for nuclear testing or threats against signatories.

China did not confirm which missile was tested. Its submarine fleet operates two submarine-launched ballistic missiles, the JL-2 and the more advanced JL-3, which analysts say has sufficient range to reach the continental United States from the South China Sea.

China's last Pacific missile test was in September 2024. Before that, it had not conducted a public test of this kind since 1980.