By China test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, a move that has heightened security concerns in a region already tense due to Beijing’s territorial claims and rivalry with the United States.
The Chinese Defense Ministry confirmed the launch in a statement posted on social media, describing it as part of routine annual training by the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force. The ministry stated that the ICBM carried a dummy warhead and fell into a designated area of the sea, emphasizing that the test complied with international law and was not directed against any specific country or target.
This rare long-range test is reminiscent of China’s 1980 ICBM launch into the South Pacific, which targeted an area roughly encircled by the Solomon Islands, Nauru, the Gilbert Islands, Tuvalu, western Samoa, Fiji, and the New Hebrides.
Experts note the significance of this test, given its rarity. James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Associated Press, “When they haven’t done something for 44 years and then they do it, that’s significant. It’s China’s way of telling us, ‘Like you, we’re not ashamed we have nuclear weapons and we’re going to behave like a great nuclear power.'”
The launch coincides with the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York, where China, as a permanent member of the Security Council, seeks to expand its influence on key issues aligning with its authoritarian system.
This test occurs against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions, including ongoing disputes over Taiwan’s status and territorial conflicts with the Philippines, where the U.S. has deployed its new Typhon missile system. Recent corruption arrests within China’s Rocket Force and defense ministry have also drawn attention to the country’s military operations.
Jeffrey Lewis, a missile expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, suggests the test signals a new era in U.S.-China relations, stating, “We’re entering an age where the U.S. and China are engulfed in what feel like an arms race.”
While China maintains a “no first use” nuclear weapons policy, its growing regional ambitions and military capabilities continue to raise concerns among neighboring countries and the United States. Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea have refrained from direct comment on the launch but maintain robust defense systems against potential Chinese aggression.
As tensions persist, this ICBM test underscores the complex dynamics of power and deterrence in the Asia-Pacific region, with potential far-reaching implications for global security and diplomatic relations.
