TOKYO, July 6 – The Chinese military said Monday a nuclear-powered submarine successfully test-fired a missile toward the Pacific, triggering concern from Japan and other countries in the region already wary of China’s military buildup.
The projectile was not confirmed to have flown over Japan’s territory or its exclusive economic zone, according to top Japanese government spokesman Minoru Kihara. The Japanese government was notified in advance of a ballistic missile launch from China.
China’s official Xinhua News Agency said a strategic missile carrying a dummy warhead was launched from a nuclear submarine of the People’s Liberation Army Navy toward the high seas of the Pacific Ocean at 12:01 p.m., landing precisely within the designated waters.
It is rare for the Chinese military to announce the launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. The apparent show of nuclear force came ahead of the 99th anniversary of the founding of the PLA on Aug. 1.
No damage to Japanese planes or vessels was reported, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara told a press conference in Tokyo, while expressing his concerns over the launch and vowing that his country will remain vigilant.
He also criticized China for “continuously increasing its defense spending at a high rate without sufficient transparency and expanding its nuclear missile capabilities, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, rapidly and extensively.”
After being informed by China around 11:30 a.m. of a ballistic missile launch, Japan conveyed its serious concern about intensifying military activities and demanded a “rethink” of the firing so as not to threaten Japan’s security, the Japanese government said.
On Sunday, Chinese authorities notified the Japan Coast Guard of designated sea areas regarding possible falling space debris, which included Japan’s EEZ in the Pacific south of the western prefecture of Wakayama.
Among other countries in the region, Australia was also informed in advance of the missile test, with its Foreign Minister Penny Wong calling the launch “destabilizing to the region.”
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country, which was also notified, is “deeply concerned” by the launching of nuclear-capable weapons, saying it appeared to be part of a “recurring pattern by China” following its 2024 test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the South Pacific.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference in Beijing that the missile test was a “routine” arrangement of China’s annual military training and was conducted “in accordance with international law and practice.”
“We hope that relevant countries will not overinterpret it,” Mao said, noting that the test was not directed at any specific country.
China and Russia on the same day started a joint naval exercise at a military port in Qingdao in eastern China facing the Yellow Sea, which are reportedly to involve anti-submarine warfare and air defense missions.
Tokyo-Beijing ties remain strained after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s parliamentary remarks last November suggesting an attack by China on Taiwan could prompt a response by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces in support of its ally, the United States. – KyodoNews
