China’s missile launch triggers a barrage of flak

China has sparked alarm across the Pacific after test-firing a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine. Today’s latest show of force immediately triggered protests from regional powers as Beijing continued to flex its military muscles.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong warned the incident was “destabilising” the region, while her New Zealand opposite number, Winston Peters, described it as “deeply concerning.”

China’s provocative action also came on the same day Australia and Fiji signed a defense deal aimed at countering Beijing’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. Malcolm Davis, a defence analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, felt the timing of the test was not a coincidence.

“[It] is clearly an indication that China will use military force, or the threat of military force, to try to intimidate and coerce small Pacific states into not seeking closer relations with Australia,” he pointed out on the The Guardian website.

Submerged subterfuge:

• The Chinese missile was armed with a dummy warhead and splashed down in the South Pacific, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
• It was part of a “routine annual training” exercise, the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China said, claiming it complied with international law.

The test should be seen as a clear warning by Beijing.

Malcolm Davis, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Delve deeper: But this failed to calm nerves from regional rivals Australia, Japan and New Zealand. “[They] have sought to deepen alliances aimed at constraining Beijing,” Semafor, the geopolitical news site, stressed.

Between the lines: For New Zealand Foreign Minister Peters, the timing raised serious concerns. “[We consider] this an unwelcome development. We, like our neighbors, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability,” he said.

Big picture: Davis, of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, was just as vocal. “The test should be seen as a clear warning by Beijing. [It] also reinforces Chinese confidence in its military capabilities, including its nuclear capabilities,” he said.

Bottom line: Anxiety among Beijing’s neighbors had already increased amid Chinese naval drills around Taiwan. Today’s move will only further raise tensions in the region.

China Factor comment: In short, President Xi Jinping’s regime represents a clear and present danger. With the naval force of the People’s Liberation Army the largest in the world, this should be a wake-up call for an impotent United States under Donald Trump.