Updated ,first published
China is preparing to test-fire a nuclear-capable long-range missile with a dummy warhead in the South Pacific in the next 24 hours, diplomats in the region have been told.
The news, delivered to regional governments on Monday afternoon, came just hours after Australia and Fiji struck a new defence alliance.
Diplomatic sources confirmed to this masthead that Chinese officials had briefed various regional governments, including Australia and New Zealand, about an upcoming intercontinental ballistic missile test in the Pacific.
A source said China had published a NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions), an official public notification process issued to airmen and mariners, advising them to avoid the region because they would be conducting testing.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office has been contacted for comment.
China previously test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean in September 2024, the first such test since 1980.
The 2024 test involved the firing a missile carrying a dummy warhead from Hainan Island, a Chinese province in the South China Sea.
It travelled about 11,500 kilometres before landing in waters in the exclusive economic zone of French Polynesia. China’s defence ministry said at the time that the test was a “legitimate and routine arrangement for military training”, in line with international law and not aimed at any country or target.
It is unclear exactly where the missile will be fired.
Such tests usually take significant time to prepare, suggesting the upcoming launch is not a spontaneous response to the Fiji-Australia alliance.
China’s largest spy vessel, Liao Wang 1, has been tracked operating north of Papua New Guinea in recent days.
The Chinese navy conducted live-firing exercises in the Tasman Sea in February 2025, forcing commercial airlines to change their flight routes.
More to come
Matthew Knott is the foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X, Facebook or email.
Lisa Visentin is the North Asia correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Beijing. She was previously a federal political correspondent based in Canberra.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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