China Test-Fires Intercontinental Ballistic Missile in Pacific Ocean

China said it carried out a rare test-fire of an intercontinental ballistic missile in international waters, sparking protests from neighbouring countries.

Beijing said Wednesday’s launch — the first in more than 40 years — was “routine” and did not target any country or target. Chinese media reported that the government had also notified “relevant countries.”

But Japan said it had not received a warning and expressed concerns, along with Australia and New Zealand.

The launch contributes to tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, with analysts saying it highlights China’s growing long-range nuclear capabilities.

The US warned last year that China was building up its nuclear arsenal as part of a defence modernisation. The intercontinental ballistic missile can travel more than 5,500 kilometres – putting China within striking range of the US mainland and Hawaii.

But Beijing’s arsenal is still estimated to be less than one-fifth the size of those of the United States and Russia, and China has long maintained that its nuclear weapons are intended solely for deterrence.

Beijing said on Wednesday that the long-range missile was launched at 08:44 local time (04:44 GMT). The missile carried a dummy warhead and landed in the designated area – believed to be in the South Pacific.

The Chinese Defense Ministry added that the test launch was “routine” and part of its “annual training.”

But analysts said China’s last test of an intercontinental ballistic missile was in the 1980s. China typically conducts its tests domestically — having previously fired ICBMs west into the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang.

“This kind of test is not unusual for other countries, including the US, but it is unusual for China,” nuclear missile analyst Ankit Panda told the BBC.

China’s “ongoing nuclear modernization” has already brought about fundamental changes, he said, and this launch now appears to show a change in its approach as well.

The move drew immediate reactions from other countries. Japan said it had received “no notice” and expressed “serious concern” over Beijing’s military buildup.

Meanwhile, Australia said the move was “destabilising and increases the risk of miscalculation in the region” and that it had demanded an “explanation” from Beijing. New Zealand called it an “unwelcome and worrying development”.

Mr Panda said he did not believe China’s actions were primarily intended to send a political message – “but there is no doubt that this will serve as a stark reminder to the region and the United States that the nuclear dynamics in Asia are changing rapidly”.

Other analysts went further, saying it was another wake-up call for the United States and its allies in the region.

“For Washington, the message is that direct intervention in a conflict across the Taiwan Strait would make the American homeland vulnerable to attack,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international relations at Ewha Womans University in South Korea.

For US allies in Asia, he added, “the provocative test… demonstrates China’s ability to fight on multiple fronts simultaneously.”

“Timing is everything,” Drew Thompson, a visiting scholar at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, wrote on X.

“[China’s] The statement claims that the launch is not targeting any country, but there are high levels of tension between China, Japan, the Philippines, and of course the ever-present tension with Taiwan.

Despite improved relations between Beijing and Washington over the past year, China’s increasing assertiveness in the region remains a point of contention. Tensions between the two countries have escalated. China and PhilippinesIPence Where their ships collided repeatedly in disputed waters.

last month, Japan sent fighter jets After accusing a Chinese spy plane of violating its airspace, a move it described as “totally unacceptable”.

Beijing’s relationship with self-ruled Taiwan is another source of tension.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said earlier on Wednesday that China had recently carried out “intensive missile launches” and other drills. The statement said it had detected 23 Chinese military aircraft operating around Taiwan on “long-range missions.”

Beijing routinely sends ships and aircraft into Taiwanese waters and airspace, in a tactic called “gray zone warfare” aimed at normalizing incursions.

In July, China suspended nuclear arms control talks with Washington, in response to US arms sales to Taiwan continue.

The United States last year warned of China’s nuclear modernization, even though its numbers remain far below Washington’s. The Pentagon has estimated that China has More than 500 nuclear warheads are operational In its arsenal, which numbers about 350 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The report expected that the number of Chinese warheads would reach more than a thousand by 2030, while the United States and Russia say that each of them possesses more than five thousand warheads.

There were also conflicts over China’s military missile strength.It is the elite unit that runs its nuclear arsenal, and a vigorous anti-corruption campaign led to the ouster of two of its leaders last year.