China flexes: Test ballistic missile fired in South Pacific after Australia-Fiji defence pact
Monday, 6 July 2026
China has fired a missile in the South Pacific following a new defence pact between Australia and Fiji.
The New Zealand Government is describing the move as “unwelcome and concerning”.
The test firing came soon after a new mutual defence treaty was signed between Australia and Fiji, which New Zealand appears interested in joining.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said the Government had been warned about the move. “Earlier today, China informed us of its plans to launch a long-range ballistic missile into the South Pacific. It appears that despite our long-standing concerns about this type of activity, China carried out the test within hours of informing us,“ Peters said.
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“New Zealand considers this an unwelcome and concerning development. We, like our neighbours in other Pacific countries, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability.“
The test was reportedly of a nuclear-capable missile but with a dummy warhead.
Peters said the Pacific did not want the ocean to become a “theatre for outside military competition”.
“This missile was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone established by the Treaty of Rarotonga. China’s action goes against the object and intent of that Treaty.“
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Pansy Wong said she would “leave it to China” to explain why it launched the missile.
“The Pacific Islands Forum leaders have made clear that they want the Pacific to be an ocean of peace. We believe this test is inconsistent with that objective,” Wong said.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon earlier said he had spoken to the Fijian and Australian prime ministers about their new “Ocean of Peace” alliance, and said that New Zealand was interested in potentially joining it.
“They have obviously formed an ally relationship of defence arrangements. We have signalled as a Cabinet that we're interested in exploring joining that agreement, but of course final decisions will be taken by Cabinet,” Luxon said.
Labour defence spokesman Damien O’Connor said he was keen to get a full briefing from the Government on the matter.
Australia is currently New Zealand’s only defence ally.
The new treaty features language suggesting that an attack on Fiji or Australia would compel the other to act to meet the “common danger” as it sees any attack on Fiji or Australia as dangerous to the other partner.
Luxon was asked if New Zealand joining might anger China and declined to comment on the matter, other than to say that New Zealand wanted the Pacific nations to be the ones making decisions about the Pacific.
“Not really no ‒ look, in the unlikely event that Fiji gets attacked, Australia has said that they now have an ally relationship and they would backstop them, and vice versa,” Luxon said.
“But I think what you're seeing, and I've talked a lot about this in the Pacific, is that we want the Pacific Island nations and the Pacific Island Forum to be the central body by which we deal with Pacific challenges in a Pacific way, and that's my brief to all the major powers that are often in our part of the region, as it becomes increasingly contested, is that you need to come through the front door of Pacific Island Forum.”
Luxon said the Pacific having its own defence agreements was “not a bad thing”.
The test firing comes just over a year after China conducted live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea which disrupted international flights.
At the time Luxon said the exercises were within international law but pointed to the Pacific as an increasingly contested space.
Then-defence minister Judith Collins described the exercises as a “wake-up call”.
In September of 2024 China fired another dummy warhead into the Pacific.
The Chinese Embassy in Wellington has been asked for comment.