China’s ‌military test-fired a missile from a nuclear submarine into the Pacific on Monday, state media reported, drawing criticism and concerns from Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

A nuclear submarine of the People’s Liberation Army Navy launched the ​missile carrying a dummy warhead toward international waters in the Pacific at 12:01 p.m. (0401 ​GMT), China’s official Xinhua news agency said. The missile landed in “designated waters,” it ⁠added, without giving further details of the location.

Xinhua described the launch as a “routine arrangement” ​of China’s annual military training and said it was not directed against any specific country or ​target.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said China had notified the government of the planned test, but said the launch was “destabilising” for the region.

“Australia has been clear that this proposed test is in the context of a ​rapid military buildup by China, which is lacking in the transparency and reassurance as to ​intent that the region expects,” Wong told reporters at a news conference in the Fijian capital Suva.

Japan’s ‌government said ⁠it received notification of the missile launch and urged China to reconsider.

“We expressed our grave concern over the Chinese military’s increased activity,” Tokyo said, adding that Japan’s Coast Guard had been notified on Sunday by Chinese authorities about falling space debris that could fall within Japan’s exclusive economic ​zone (EEZ).

Kyodo news agency ​on Monday reported, ⁠citing a Japanese government source, that the missile had landed outside Japan’s EEZ.

Rare pause in Taiwan air activity

While China has continued to expand its military reach across multiple domains, earlier this year analysts noted an unusual shift in its air activity near Taiwan.

In March 2026, Chinese fighter jet incursions around the island suddenly stopped for nearly two weeks before briefly resuming, a rare pause that puzzled observers amid otherwise sustained regional military pressure.