China carried out a rare test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the Pacific on Wednesday, September 25, equipped with a “dummy warhead,” announced its Ministry of Defense, which rarely communicates openly on this type of launch.
The Chinese military has apparently not tested such a missile in the Pacific for decades. The launch comes amid Sino-American rivalry in the Pacific, Beijing-Manila tensions in the South China Sea and hostility between Chinese authorities and those of Taiwan, an island they claim. No details on where the missile fell were provided. The ministry did not specify whether it was launched from a submarine or from land.
New Zealand said Wednesday that China’s test in the South Pacific was “unwelcome and concerning” and pledged to consult with allies as details become clear. “Pacific leaders have made clear their expectation of a peaceful, stable, prosperous and secure region,” a New Zealand foreign ministry spokesman told AFP. Australia has asked for an “explanation from China,” a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP, denouncing any “destabilizing” action that “increases the risk of a mistake in the region.”
Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said there had been “no advance notice from China” of the launch. Hayashi also said Beijing’s rapid military buildup and lack of transparency were a “serious concern” for his country. “China has continued to increase its defense budget at high levels and to rapidly and widely strengthen its nuclear and missile capabilities,” while expanding its military activities around Japan, he said at a press briefing.
“Extremely unusual”
Intercontinental ballistic missiles are among the most powerful weapons in the world and can carry devastating nuclear warheads. “The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (Chinese army, editor’s note) successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a dummy training warhead into the Pacific Ocean on September 25 at 08:44 (02:44 French time) on the high seas. It accurately landed in the predetermined sea area,” the Chinese Defense Ministry said. “This missile launch is part of the Rocket Force’s annual routine training program,” it “is in line with international law and practice and does not target any specific country or target,” it stressed.
China had conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test in the South Pacific in the 1980s. The Asian country typically conducts tests in its own airspace, an analyst told AFP. “This is extremely unusual and probably the first time in decades that we have seen such a test,” said Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a US think tank. The test “probably reflects ongoing nuclear modernization on the part of China, which is manifesting itself in new testing requirements,” he added.
According to a US Department of Defense report published in October 2023, China is expanding its nuclear weapons stockpile very rapidly. It claimed that it could have more than 1,000 operational warheads by 2030 – roughly double the number it has today. China denounced these findings. It reaffirmed that its nuclear arsenal, very modest compared to that of the United States, was used only for its “self-defense”. The Asian giant has always pledged never to be the first to use a nuclear bomb unless it was itself attacked by such a weapon.
According to data available in 2023, the United States had 3,708 nuclear warheads and Russia 4,489, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which counted 410 for China.
China has greatly modernized its military in recent decades, and its military spending has been increasing every year, although it remains much lower than that of the United States. This strengthening of Chinese military capabilities has aroused recurring mistrust among some neighboring nations, particularly those with which Beijing has territorial disputes, such as Japan (over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands) and the Philippines (in the South China Sea).