China test-fires submarine-launched ballistic missile into Pacific, alarming US and allies

The test

China’s navy conducted a rare test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, state media reported. The missile, believed to be a Julang-3 (JL-3), was fired from a Type 094 Jin-class nuclear-powered submarine and carried a training warhead. Chinese officials described the launch as part of annual training, saying relevant nations had been notified in advance and that it complied with international law.

It is a submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile of the Julang (JL)-3 series.

The JL-3 is still under development and is said to have a maximum range of 12,000 kilometres, capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. Analysts suggest the launch was conducted from protected waters near China’s coast, a “bastion” strategy that keeps submarines under air and naval cover while retaining the ability to strike distant targets.

International reaction

The United States responded with a sharp statement, calling China’s rapid and opaque nuclear buildup a source of great concern. The State Department urged Beijing to engage in substantive arms control talks.

Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup is of great concern to the region and the world.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the test was destabilising for regional security. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described it as provocative and noted that a test of this magnitude would normally come with 48 hours’ notice, which China did not provide. Japan called on China to reconsider its actions, complaining that the notice arrived only 90 minutes before the launch. New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Wellington did not want the South Pacific used as a testing ground.

We are deeply concerned about China’s tests of nuclear-capable weapons in the South Pacific.

Even the Solomon Islands, a close partner of Beijing, lodged a formal protest. Prime Minister Matthew Wale, speaking as chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, said he had registered a strong protest with China’s ambassador.

This is not good in our region. We don’t want to see any more countries — China, America, anybody — testing intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Strategic messaging

Chinese state media celebrated the test as a milestone. The Global Times, a Communist Party tabloid, declared that the country’s nuclear triad had received another upgrade, claiming the sea-based nuclear force could now conduct strategic counterstrikes from anywhere in the Pacific. Experts said the launch was both a technical validation and a political signal.

Most basically, China needed to technically validate its newest submarine-launched ballistic missile capability. But there was a broader message to the world — China now has a fully operational nuclear triad. China is probing the boundaries of U.S. defense strategy.

This was only the third time China has conducted a long-range missile test across the Pacific, following launches in 1980 and 2024. The test comes amid a broader Chinese military buildup and after years of anti-corruption purges within the armed forces. It also follows the expiration of the New START treaty between the US and Russia, which has heightened proliferation fears.