JAKARTA - China's ballistic missile test in the South Pacific triggered protests from Australia and New Zealand. The long-range missile carrying a dummy warhead was fired from a nuclear-powered submarine and fell within the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.
Quoted from The Independent, Monday, July 6, the Chinese military launched a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine on Monday. This test was China's first launch of a similar missile in the Pacific in the last two years.
According to the Xinhua news agency, the missile carried a dummy warhead and was fired shortly after midday.
Beijing called the launch part of an annual routine exercise. China also stressed that the test was in accordance with international law and was not aimed at any country or target.
Australia and New Zealand immediately condemned the test. The New Zealand government, which had been informed in advance of the launch plan, highlighted the location of the missile's fall within the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.
The zone was formed through the Rarotonga Treaty in 1986. The agreement prohibits nuclear weapons in the South Pacific region. China in 1987 ratified a protocol containing a commitment not to test nuclear weapons within the zone, as well as not to threaten to use nuclear weapons against signatory countries that have territory in the region.
"It seems that despite the fact that we have long expressed concern about this kind of activity, China still conducts tests just a few hours after informing us," said New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
The test also came at a sensitive time. On the same day, Australia and Fiji signed a joint defense agreement. The deal is widely seen as part of efforts to contain China's influence in the Pacific.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, speaking to reporters in Fiji, said Canberra's position had been made clear to Beijing.
"Australia has made it clear to China that we view this as a destabilizing action in the region," Penny Wong said.
The location of the missile's fall is of concern because it is within the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone. China said the test was routine and did not target any specific country. However, Australia and New Zealand assessed that the launch of the long-range missile still added to tensions in the South Pacific.
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