Chinese government tells critics not to ‘overinterpret’ missile test in Pacific as criticism grows | China
According to the United States and Australia, where international condemnation has increased, China’s missile test in the Pacific did not comply with international law and was carried out with “insufficient notice” to nearby countries.
But a Chinese government spokesman told critics not to “over-interpret” it, claiming the test was “safe” and part of “routine” military training.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that the test involved a “strategic missile carrying a dummy warhead” launched from “the navy’s strategic nuclear submarine.”
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said the test launch was “a routine part of China’s annual military training in accordance with international law and practice and is not directed at any specific country or target,” according to a translated version of the remarks posted on an official government website.
“Relevant countries were informed in advance and this is in line with international law and practice. The launch activity was carried out in a safe, systematic and professional manner from start to finish. We hope that the relevant countries will not over-interpret this.”
But a US State Department spokesman called on China to establish “an orderly notification arrangement for all intercontinental-range ballistic missiles and space launches.”
Australian cabinet minister Pat Conroy, the minister responsible for both defense industry and Pacific Island Affairs, pushed back on these claims. When asked in an ABC radio interview about China’s claims that the launch was in compliance with international law and whether this was an accurate summary of the incident, Conroy said: “To be honest, no it is not.”
“This was a destabilizing event and certainly sparked criticism from countries in the Pacific and Asia. Secondly, it is not consistent with the Hague Convention on ballistic missile testing, which would require greater notification and provision of more information to countries,” he said.
“We will continue to call on China to comply with the Hague convention, which provides instructions or guidance on how to conduct such tests.”
Conroy did not say whether Australia had raised a ministerial objection to China but said the countries were “communicating”.
He also criticized China for what he called “inadequate notification” about the testing, confirming that the notification came just hours before the launch was confirmed. Australian government ministers Penny Wong and Richard Marles publicly confirmed warnings from China shortly before the launch took place.
Xinhua reported the PLA navy’s statement that the missile was launched “towards the relevant high seas of the Pacific Ocean” and “landed in the exact designated waters” but did not give an exact location.
Joseph Wu, Secretary General of Taiwan’s National Security Council, sent A map purporting to show the missile’s path on social media shows it heading southeast of China, passing through the Philippines, passing through Micronesia and Palau, and landing south of Nauru.
“This is a provocation that is destabilizing the Indo-Pacific. China has proven once again that it is a bully in the bloc,” he wrote.
Marles declined to say what Australia’s knowledge of the location of the missile test was, but acknowledged that it was not “very close” to Australia. He also expressed concerns about China’s capabilities.
“Here we see a long-range missile test from China, which China says is nuclear capable. It was launched from a submarine and that has consequences here as well,” he told ABC TV.
“This China demonstrates a much greater range in deploying nuclear weapons.”
“Our fundamental problem with China is that we’re seeing China do a very dramatic military buildup without that strategic assurance. There’s really no explanation for why they’re developing the capabilities that they have, and that’s fundamentally destabilizing.”
