Pacific leaders condemn China's ICBM test while two members stay silent
At the Pacific Islands Forum, most leaders denounced China's recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch, but Nauru and Kiribati did not back the criticism.
During the closing ceremony of the Pacific Islands Forum, leaders issued a joint statement warning about China’s recent intercontinental ballistic missile test that overflew multiple island nations without adequate notice. The communique urged all states conducting ICBM tests to provide at least 24-hour advance notification, reflecting a stronger stance than the foreign ministers’ earlier wording. Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr claimed a consensus, but Nauru formally dissented from the criticism and Kiribati’s President Taneti Maamau skipped the meeting, sending senior official David Teaabo as a delegate.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called the wording a pragmatic compromise and emphasized the need to push back against normalising such launches in the nuclear-free Pacific. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun sharply rebuked the forum’s stance, labeling it sensationalist and asserting China does not pursue military expansion.
Why it matters
The dispute highlights growing tension over military activities in the Pacific and the region’s push for transparency in missile testing.
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