- China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy successfully launched a strategic missile carrying a simulation warhead into the Pacific Ocean from a nuclear submarine.
- The test coincided with the start of China and Russia’s annual joint naval exercises near the major eastern military port of Qingdao.
- Regional neighbors including Papua New Guinea and New Zealand confirmed they were briefed by Beijing ahead of the launch amid growing defense concerns.
China’s navy announced that it successfully conducted a test missile launch in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, following warnings from regional nations that Beijing was preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Eko Hot Blog reports that according to navy spokesperson Wang Xuemeng, a strategic nuclear submarine fired a strategic missile carrying a training simulation warhead at 12:01 pm on July 6, 2026.
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The projectile traveled into the high seas and landed accurately within its designated target area.
Beijing defended the operation as a routine arrangement within its annual military training framework and stated that relevant countries were notified in advance.
However, the timing of the launch has raised questions, as it took place on the exact day China and Russia were scheduled to begin their annual joint naval exercises off the coast of Qingdao.
Official military channels have not clarified whether the submarine launch was an extension of those joint drills or an independent operation.
Prior to the official announcement, diplomatic sources in the Pacific had already detected the impending test. Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko confirmed he was personally called and briefed by the Chinese ambassador.
A New Zealand government source similarly verified that they had been alerted about an upcoming intercontinental ballistic missile test, though early reports did not specify the exact landing coordinates.
The exercise closely follows a controversial launch in September 2024, when China’s elite Rocket Force fired a dummy warhead near French Polynesia, marking its first long-range missile test over international waters in more than 40 years.
That missile, suspected by analysts to be an advanced Dong Feng-31 capable of delivering thermonuclear payloads, splashed down in an ocean zone designated nuclear-free under international treaties.
Internal New Zealand defense documents recently warned that Beijing’s naval forays and ballistic tests are becoming a persistent feature in the region.
