Published On 7/8/2026
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday that the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum countries are about to issue a “firm” joint statement condemning Beijing’s test launch of a “strategic” intercontinental missile carrying a fake warhead, which fell into the ocean waters last Monday.
Albanese explained to reporters in Brisbane – ahead of meetings with the leaders of Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Samoa – that the regional forum is working to circulate a draft of the statement to its 18 members for approval, stressing that the bloc seeks to send a “very firm message” to protect the security of the region.
In the context of the responses, the State of Tuvalu expressed its “deep concern” about the test, as the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Feliti Teo, stated that his country shares the “disappointment” of the leaders of the region, noting that the launch of a ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads conflicts with the aspirations of the ocean countries to establish a zone free of nuclear weapons, calling on the great powers to refrain from using the ocean as a “testing ground for their military arsenals.”
Security messages and geopolitical competition
These developments come at a time when Australia seeks to confront China’s ambitions to expand its influence in the South Pacific region. Beijing carried out its military offer on the same day that Australia and Fiji signed a defense agreement to enhance cooperation between them.
Despite the reluctance of many South Pacific countries – which depend economically on Chinese aid and loans – to publicly criticize Beijing, the Solomon Islands announced on Tuesday that they had submitted an official “memorandum of protest” against the missile launch. The Prime Minister of Tonga, Lord Vakavanua, also confirmed that his country will join the joint statement in support of the proposal to establish peace in the ocean.
For his part, Fiji Defense Minister Pio Tikoduadua said that he warned the Chinese embassy against the launch, considering that experiences like this “do not herald much respect and trust,” pointing to a “strange coincidence” that is the presence of a Chinese missile ship, “Yuan Wang 5,” anchored in one of Fiji’s ports at the moment of the launch.
On July 6, the Chinese Navy launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from a nuclear submarine, carrying a training warhead that Beijing said fell precisely in the designated area in the Pacific Ocean.
Beijing announced that the test, which was described as the first announced test of its kind in decades and the longest-range in the history of its naval missiles, came as part of “annual training arrangements” that took place after notifying the countries concerned, stressing that it is in accordance with international law and does not target any specific country.
