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| China's test-firing of the Julang missile |
On June 6, Chinese state media reported that a long-range ballistic missile was test-fired in the Pacific Ocean at noon that day, drawing serious concern from countries in the region.
According to official Chinese reports, the missile was launched from a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine and landed in international waters of the Pacific Ocean. China notified relevant countries beforehand, but it still drew concern and criticism from NATO, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the Solomon Islands, among others.
Australian Prime Minister Barnes: "We do not welcome any actions that undermine stability or damage peace, security, and stability in the Pacific and the region. There is no doubt that this is a provocative act by China that truly undermines regional stability."
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Wel even lodged a strong protest with the Chinese ambassador: "China is a good friend of the Solomon Islands, but a friend wouldn't do such a thing. This is not a good thing for our region."
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated that the United States had detected the missile test, adding, "At a time when the United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation, China is doing the opposite. Beijing's rapid and opaque expansion of its nuclear weapons is causing deep concern in the region and around the world."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the exercise was in accordance with international norms. "This was a routine military training activity, not directed against any specific country or target. The launch activities were conducted in accordance with safety regulations and professional procedures. We hope relevant countries will not over-interpret it."
Following the missile launch, many Chinese media outlets reported that the launch site was in the Bohai Sea, and that the ballistic missile was likely the new JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile. However, according to an article by Wu Chao-hsieh, Secretary-General of Taiwan's National Security Council, China launched the JL-2, a nuclear-capable missile, from the South China Sea, which flew over the Philippines. Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim believes this reflects China's growing malicious influence operations globally.
Experts analyze that in the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, facing the US-Philippines "shoulder to shoulder" in April, the US-Japan "Resilient Dragon" exercise in June, the "Valiant Shield" exercise held in Japan and Guam, and the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) in July with the participation of 31 countries and nearly 30,000 personnel, China intends to make a statement by test-firing missiles.
Chen Kuo-ming, Director of Interviews at Global Defense Magazine: "Choosing this time to coordinate military and diplomatic actions is very likely. The first is in response to the Rim of the Pacific Exercise. The second is that just two days ago, Taiwan's Secretary-General Wu Chao-hsieh said that there are more than 110 Chinese government and naval vessels assembled on the surface, but the underwater fleet is actually more difficult for European and American countries to grasp. It also wants to demonstrate to its domestic public that it also has strike capabilities, through the test launch of submarine-launched ballistic missiles by nuclear submarines."
Shen Ming-shih, a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan, believes that in the face of multiple exercises by the United States and its allies in the region, China is worried that if it does not make a statement, the outside world may think that China's strength has weakened due to military purges or economic and leadership issues. Therefore, it has chosen to conduct exercises on relatively mature weapons platforms to avoid being accused of provoking conflict after the meeting between the leaders of the United States and China.
Shen Mingshi, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said: "I (China) have demonstrated my capabilities, but my purpose is not to engage in conflict with you. I am telling you that I still have the capability, although I am currently lacking many generals. But if you provoke conflict and war, I still have the capability to counter you or fight you and win. I even expressed that I would not hesitate to use nuclear bombs or nuclear weapons."
"I can directly prevent you from leaving your home, or place you at your doorstep, to support your operations, preventing you from intervening in the Taiwan Strait or the First Island Chain situation. This is also a practical application of anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) warfare."
Following a barrage of international criticism, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense simultaneously issued further explanations on the 7th. What impact will this international pressure have on China? Meanwhile, Radio Free Asia will continue to monitor the future developments and trends of the People's Liberation Army's exercises.
