BEIJING/SYDNEY – China’s military test-fired a missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the Pacific on Monday, state media reported, drawing criticism and concerns from Japan, Australia and New Zealand over Beijing’s expanding military reach.
A nuclear submarine of the People’s Liberation Army Navy launched the missile carrying a dummy warhead toward international waters in the Pacific at 12:01 p.m. (0401 GMT), the official Xinhua news agency said.
The missile landed in “designated waters,” it added, without giving further details of the location.
Xinhua described the launch as a “routine arrangement” of China’s annual military training and said it was not directed against any specific country or target.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said China had notified the Australian government of the planned test, but described the launch as “destabilising” for the region.
The test was “in the context of a rapid military buildup by China, which is lacking in the transparency and reassurance as to intent that the region expects,” Wong told reporters at a news conference in the Fijian capital Suva.
The test comes just hours after Australia and Fiji signed a major defence alliance on Monday, committing each country to come to the other’s aid in case either is attacked.
Beijing and Western powers led by the U.S. and Australia have competed for years for influence in the strategically located island nations, and China has sought to expand its economic and security influence across the South Pacific.
Mark Douglas, an analyst for Starboard Maritime Intelligence, a New Zealand ship tracking company, said the test had been planned long in advance, and noted that the timing of China’s notification – after Australia and Fiji signed the Ocean of Peace Alliance – was interesting.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the country was deeply concerned by the test, adding that it had been informed “within hours” of the launch.
“New Zealand considers this an unwelcome and concerning development. We, like our neighbours in other Pacific countries, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability,” Peters said in a statement.
