China announced on Monday that it had “successfully conducted” a test launch of a strategic missile from a submarine, following advance notifications sent to several countries in the Pacific region just hours earlier.
“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy on Monday successfully conducted the test launch of a strategic missile by a submarine,” state-run Xinhua News reported.
The latest test represents China’s second strategic missile launch in recent times, coming after an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was fired into the Pacific Ocean on Sept. 25, 2024. That earlier launch was noted as the first of its kind since 1980.
Earlier in the day, media reports from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan indicated that regional authorities had been informed by Beijing about an impending test of a nuclear-capable long-range missile in the South Pacific.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, maritime intelligence firm Starboard also “published images showing that China currently has two satellite tracking vessels in the Pacific region, which would be used to monitor a test ballistic missile launch.”
Separately, Kyodo News reported that Japan received prior notification of the test and urged Beijing to “rethink” the missile launch, while also expressing its “serious concern.”
