Australia-based outlets reported on July 6 that China has alerted regional governments to an imminent test launch of a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile in the South Pacific, saying the exercise would use a dummy warhead and is expected within the next 24 hours.
The media reports noted the briefings to regional diplomats came on the same day Australia and Fiji formalised a defence agreement under which each nation pledged to come to the other’s assistance if attacked. The timing of the notification drew attention from analysts who monitor regional security developments.
Two Australian newspapers named in the reports said Chinese officials had informed Pacific governments, including Australia, about the planned intercontinental ballistic missile test. Requests for comment to the Chinese embassy in Australia did not receive an immediate response, according to those accounts.
Ship-tracking data supplied by Starboard Maritime Intelligence, a New Zealand firm that monitors vessel movements, showed three Chinese satellite-tracking ships deployed around the Pacific. Two of those vessels left China around June 25 and are currently positioned near the Federated States of Micronesia. The third vessel departed China in early May and is at harbour in Suva, Fiji’s capital.
Starboard analyst Mark Douglas described the vessels as equipped with large satellite dishes used to track missile launches and other space activity, and said their presence in the Pacific is likely intended to collect data from the reported missile test. He added that the timeline for the vessels' departures indicates the exercise had been planned well in advance, and he flagged the coincidence of the notification arriving a day after the Australia-Fiji defence pact was signed as noteworthy.
The reports also recalled that China conducted a rare intercontinental ballistic missile test in 2024, noting the last test highlighted the country's expanding military capabilities. Beyond that observation, the reporting does not add further official confirmation or new technical details about the planned launch.
Context and next steps: Regional governments were reportedly briefed. Monitoring organisations and maritime intelligence firms are tracking vessel positions. No immediate official response from the Chinese embassy in Australia was recorded in the reports.