China’s test launch of a nuclear‑capable ballistic missile into the Pacific has triggered a wave of condemnation across the region, with Australia’s Pacific Minister Pat Conroy declaring the move has damaged Beijing’s standing and strengthened the case for a regional security pact.
The missile, fired from a submarine on Monday, flew over several Pacific islands before splashing down near Tuvalu’s exclusive economic zone. Beijing insisted the launch was “routine,” but Pacific leaders including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denounced it as provocative and destabilising.
Conroy said the test had undermined China’s credibility as a security partner, pointing to criticism from leaders in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Palau, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale, who has been advocating for a regional security pact ahead of next month’s Pacific Islands Forum, said the launch only reinforced the need for collective action.
“China is a good friend of the Solomon Islands, but this is not something a friend does,” Wale said.
The missile test coincided with Albanese’s diplomatic tour of the region, occurring just hours after he signed a mutual‑defence agreement with Fiji a move aimed at bolstering Pacific security cooperation.
Conroy warned that conflict in the Indo‑Pacific would have severe global consequences, noting the region is experiencing its largest military build‑up since World War II. When pressed on whether Australia could defend against a strike similar to China’s launch, he said the government was strengthening national security through diplomacy and increased defence resourcing.
The incident has injected fresh urgency into regional discussions, with Pacific leaders now weighing how to respond to an increasingly assertive China.
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