According to a statement issued by the Chinese Navy, the missile was launched at 12:01 p.m. local time carrying a training simulation warhead. Beijing said the missile accurately struck its designated target area in the high seas of the Pacific Ocean.
“The strategic missile carrying a training simulation warhead accurately landed in the designated sea area,” Chinese Navy spokesperson Wang Xuemeng said in a statement published on the navy’s official WeChat account.
The announcement came after officials from Papua New Guinea and New Zealand confirmed that China had notified them in advance of the planned missile test.
Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko told AFP that he had been personally informed by China’s ambassador about the launch. A New Zealand government source also confirmed that Wellington had received advance notification of the planned intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test.
Meanwhile, Japan expressed concern over the missile launch, urging Beijing to reconsider such tests.
In a joint government statement issued before the launch, Japanese authorities said they had “strongly called for a rethink of the ballistic missile test-firing” to ensure it would not threaten Japan’s security or pass through its airspace.
The test comes amid increasing military activity and strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region, where missile development and military exercises continue to draw close scrutiny from neighboring countries and global powers.
