Rare Move From China Has Neighbors Nervous

China just sent a pointed reminder of its growing reach into the Pacific sky. Beijing on Monday launched a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine, firing a dummy warhead into the Pacific in its first such test in nearly two years, according to state media. China said the missile "landed accurately" and wasn't aimed at any particular country, but regional governments that received advance notice publicly pushed back, per the New York Times. Australia labeled the move destabilizing "in the context of a rapid military build-up by China"; New Zealand said it was "deeply concerned" by the development, and Japan said it had urged China not to go ahead.

Analysts believe the launch likely involved the JL-3, a newer submarine-launched intercontinental missile that the Pentagon says could reach the US mainland from near China's coast. The test follows a 2024 ICBM launch into waters near French Polynesia—the first such test in 44 years, per CNN—and live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea, all of which have added urgency to defense pacts between Australia and Pacific Island nations. One security scholar said Beijing is not only refining its arsenal but also gauging how far it can push before neighbors—and Washington—adjust their own strategies. The US, India, and Russia have also performed missile tests within the past year.