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Diplomats in the region have been told that China is preparing to test a nuclear-capable long-range missile with a dummy warhead in the South Pacific within the next 24 hours.
The news, delivered to regional governments on Monday afternoon, came just hours after Australia and Fiji formed a new defense alliance.
Diplomatic sources confirmed to this imprint that Chinese officials have informed various regional governments, including Australia, about the upcoming intercontinental ballistic missile test in the Pacific.
China had previously tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in the Pacific Ocean in September 2024; this was the first test since 1980.
As the Communist Party marked the 70th anniversary of its rise to power with a parade in Beijing in 2019, Chinese military vehicles were carrying weapons, including a nuclear-capable missile designed to evade US defenses.
Earlier today, Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said he did not expect any resistance from China following the island nation’s new bilateral defense agreement with Australia.
Speaking alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a news conference in Suva, he said: “I do not expect China to give either government a serious pushback and I believe they will welcome the agreement between Australia and Fiji.”
“This does not threaten Fiji’s relationship with China or Australia’s relationship with China, and as we have made very clear in the past, your enemies may not necessarily be my enemies.”
We will be following this story closely and will bring you more updates as they emerge.
Read the full story here.
