A Chinese submarine test-fired a “strategic” missile carrying a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, Beijing said, drawing immediate condemnation from nations in the region.
China made the rare show of its military might on the same day Australia and Fiji signed a major defence treaty, bolstering their ties as Canberra seeks to outmanoeuvre Beijing in the strategically important South Pacific.
New Zealand described the test as involving a nuclear-capable “long-range ballistic missile”, but China’s defence and foreign ministries did not confirm whether an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) had been used.
Monday’s test followed two years after China’s elite Rocket Force fired an ICBM into the sea near French Polynesia, its first launch of such a missile over international waters in more than 40 years.
A nuclear submarine launched a “strategic missile carrying a training simulation warhead” at 12:01 pm (0401 GMT), a Chinese navy statement said, adding that it had “accurately land(ed) in the designated sea area”.
