China conducts rare long-range missile test, rattling U.S. allies

HONG KONG — China test-fired a long-range ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, state media reported, drawing criticism from U.S. allies concerned about Beijing’s intensifying military activity in the region.

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The missile, which was carrying a dummy warhead, was launched from a nuclear-powered submarine at 12:01 p.m. local time (12:01 a.m. ET), according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency. It “landed precisely within the designated waters,” the agency said, without providing details on the location or exact type of projectile.

It was China’s first such test since 2024, when it fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific for the first time in more than four decades.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy said the launch was a routine part of annual training and that it was not directed at any specific country or target, Xinhua said. It was also in line with international law and practice and relevant countries were notified in advance, officials said, with the Chinese foreign ministry adding that it hoped countries would “not over‑interpret the situation.”

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her country had been told about the test ahead of time but criticized it as “destabilizing” for the region.

“Australia has been clear that this proposal, this proposed test, is in the context of a rapid military build-up by China, which is lacking in the transparency and reassurance as to intent, that the region expects,” she told reporters while visiting Fiji, where the two countries signed a major defense alliance as Australia tries to curb Beijing’s influence in the region.

The government of Japan said it had been advised by Chinese authorities on Sunday that space debris could fall within its exclusive economic zone, the Kyodo news agency reported, and expressed “serious concern” about the test.

The missile landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the agency said, citing a government source.

New Zealand described the test as an “unwelcome and concerning development.”

“We, like our neighbors in other Pacific countries, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability,” Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.