The United States on Monday expressed concern over China’s expanding nuclear capabilities.
After Beijing test-fired a missile carrying a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean, a move analysts say underscores the country’s rapidly advancing long-range strike capability.
The launch comes two years after China fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into waters near French Polynesia—its first such test over international waters in more than four decades—and is being viewed as another milestone in Beijing’s military modernisation.
“At a time when the United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation, China is doing the opposite,” US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
“Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup is of great concern to the region and the world,” he added, urging China to engage in meaningful arms-control talks and establish a regular notification mechanism for intercontinental missile and space launches.
Washington’s remarks come months after the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia expired. The US has argued that any future strategic arms agreement should also include China, whose nuclear arsenal remains smaller than those of the US and Russia but has expanded significantly in recent years.
China calls launch routine
China defended the test, with navy spokesperson Wang Xuemeng describing it as part of the country’s annual military training programme.
In a statement posted on WeChat, Wang said relevant countries had been informed in advance. New Zealand confirmed that Pacific nations received notification about two hours before the launch, though it remains unclear whether the United States was similarly notified.
According to monitoring organisations, the missile—reportedly launched from a nuclear-powered submarine—landed near the Solomon Islands, a Pacific nation that signed a controversial security pact with China in 2022.
Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the test suggested China was strengthening the sea-based component of its nuclear deterrent.
“A test of this range indicates China is moving toward a more survivable and longer-range sea-based nuclear capability,” Morris said, adding that it demonstrates Beijing’s ability to target the continental United States from waters relatively close to China.
Regional powers react
The missile launch coincided with Australia and Fiji signing a new defence treaty aimed at strengthening regional security, although analysts said the timing was likely coincidental given the long planning cycles involved in missile tests.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the launch as “destabilising” for the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan, which said it had received advance notification from Beijing, said it had urged China to reconsider the launch and reiterated its “serious concerns” over the country’s expanding military activities.
Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo have remained elevated amid disputes over regional security and Taiwan, the self-governed island that China claims as its own.
Russia, one of China’s closest strategic partners, defended the launch, saying the missile test was Beijing’s sovereign right and insisting that China “is not threatening anyone in the world.”
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