Beijing mentioned the transfer was not geared toward any explicit nation, dismissing accusations of escalation
A Chinese nuclear submarine launched a long-range ballistic missile with a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, marking the primary such check since 2024.
“This test launch is a routine part of the Chinese PLA Navy’s annual training,” Navy spokesman Wang Xuemeng mentioned in a press release. “The Chinese side notified relevant countries in advance.”
“This test launch complies with international law and international practice and is not directed at any specific country or target,” Wang added.
The spokesman mentioned the missile had “landed precisely within the designated waters.” CNN, citing a regional supply, reported that it landed close to the unique financial zone of both Kiribati or Tuvalu.
The US, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan condemned the check as a harmful escalation. US State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott mentioned “Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup is of great concern to the region and the world.” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong accused China of destabilizing the area, describing Beijing’s army actions as “lacking in transparency and reassurance.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning pushed again towards the criticism, saying the check had been performed in “a safe, standard and professional manner.” She urged all nations to “not read too much into it.”
The US and China have exchanged some heat gestures in current months. US President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in May throughout a go to that either side hailed as cordial. Trump mentioned on Monday that he expects Xi to go to the US in late September. Xi earlier congratulated Trump on the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.
At the identical time, tensions have continued. In May, the US imposed new sanctions on Chinese oil corporations allegedly concerned in commerce with Iran and, the next month, blacklisted one other batch of entities it accused of supplying weapons to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). China responded by sanctioning 10 US corporations concerned within the protection, aerospace, and uncommon earth mining sectors.
China has additionally condemned the US-Israel battle towards Iran and the US power blockade of Cuba as violations of worldwide legislation.