China recently conducted a test of a long-range ballistic missile, launching from a nuclear-powered submarine into the Pacific Ocean. This marked the country’s first such missile launch in two years.

According to Xinhua, China’s official news agency, the test occurred at 12:01 p.m. Beijing time. A ‘mock warhead’ was used, and the missile successfully reached its designated area. The report emphasized that the test was not aimed at any particular country or target.

The precise landing location of the missile remains unclear. The test coincided with the announcement of a new mutual defense treaty and regional security alliance between Australia and Fiji. This has been part of Australia’s broader efforts to counteract China’s influence in the Pacific Islands region.

Governments in the area were informed of the missile launch shortly before it happened. The 2024 test had drawn significant alarm from countries in the region, as it involved an intercontinental ballistic missile landing near French Polynesia. It had been decades since China publicly conducted such a test in the Pacific.

An image from Chinese state media in September 2024 showed the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force launching an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean with a dummy warhead.