China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a dummy warhead into the South Pacific on September 25, 2024, marking the first time Beijing has tested an ICBM over international waters since 1980. The missile traveled roughly 12,000 kilometers from Hainan Island to a designated area near French Polynesia and Kiribati, and the geopolitical aftershocks are still reverberating months later.
What actually happened
The missile was fired at 8:44 a.m. Beijing time from Hainan Island, China’s southernmost province. It covered an estimated 11,500 to 12,000 kilometers before splashing down in a high-seas zone within the South Pacific.
China’s military described the test as a “routine arrangement” within the country’s annual training plan.
The landing zone sat near French Polynesia’s exclusive economic zone and within Kiribati’s EEZ. Pacific Small Island Developing States condemned the test, citing regional security concerns and potential violations of the spirit of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty.
