Australia Urges More Pacific Agreements Amid China Missile Test

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James Paterson says Australia needs to enter more agreements with Pacific nations

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By Joshua Boscaini

Liberal frontbencher James Paterson says China's warning to Pacific nations about its long-range ballistic missile test was "not consistent with best practice".

Beijing test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile armed with a dummy warhead yesterday. It briefed nations in the region hours ahead of the planned long-range missile test.

The ABC has been told the ballistic missile travelled over the Exclusive Economic Zones of three Pacific island nations, and landed about 1,000 kilometres north-east of Solomon Islands.

It happened just hours after Australia and Fiji signed a new defence agreement called the Ocean of Peace Alliance.

Paterson says he's been happy so far with the federal government's response to the missile test.

He says Australia needs to enter more agreements with Pacific island nations to prevent China from getting a foothold in the region.

"Australia's national interest would be grievously damaged by the establishment of a presence from a country like the PRC in our region of a naval port," Paterson says.

"I think it's important that we continue to see further bilateral arrangements like these and also that we explore multilateral arrangements with the Pacific."

Anthony Albanese arrives in Solomon Islands

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By Joshua Boscaini

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has just touched down in the Solomon Islands, where he's expected to kick off a day of engagements.

He'll be meeting with the fairly new Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale and participate in independence day celebrations.

Wale made his first visit to Australia last month and pledged to kickstart negotiations on a comprehensive treaty with Canberra.

Conroy doesn't think Chinese test will deter Pacific security alliance

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By Joshua Boscaini

Pat Conroy says he doesn't think the Chinese missile test in the Pacific yesterday will deter other Pacific nations from joining a defence alliance.

As we mentioned earlier, PM Anthony Albanese signed a defence agreement with Fiji yesterday called the Ocean of Peace Alliance.

It leaves the door open for other Pacific nations with militaries to join the alliance.

Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, the defence industry minister says he doesn't think it will deter other nations from joining the alliance.

"This is something that can destabilise the region but doesn't take away our efforts to implement what the Pacific leaders have called for, which is Pacific security that comes from within the Pacific," Conroy says.

Australia had been tracking Chinese navy task force in lead up to missile test: Conroy

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By Joshua Boscaini

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy says China had been planning to test-fire a nuclear ballistic missile in the Pacific for some time.

Australia signed a new defence agreement with Fiji yesterday called the Ocean of Peace Alliance. It leaves the door open for other Pacific nations with militaries to join.

On the same day, China test-fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a dummy warhead in the Pacific Ocean, which was launched from a PLA-Navy submarine.

Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, Conroy says Australia was monitoring a Chinese navy task force group that was involved in tracking the launch.

The defence industry minister says the Chinese task force group was in movement for some time.

He says China informed the Australian government about the test in advance but with "insufficient notice".

"I think it's more likely to be a coincidence rather than linked but that's ultimately a question for the Chinese government," Conroy says.

Marles says Australia is concerned about the range of the Chinese long-range missile

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By Joshua Boscaini

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles says the Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile didn't land "particularly close" to Australia.

The ABC has been told the Chinese missile, which was fitted with a dummy warhead, landed about 1,000 kilometres north-east of the Solomon Islands.

Pressed on ABC News Breakfast on the trajectory of the missile test, Marles wouldn't go into details other than to say it landed in the Pacific.

He says the government is more concerned about the range of the missile and the fact it was launched from a Chinese navy submarine.

"Look, it wasn't particularly close to Australia. I'm not going to go into the detail of where. I can assure you it wasn't particularly close to Australia,"

Marles says.

"This is a very significant capability in terms of the range that's been demonstrated and the means by which it's been launched from a submarine and what it can carry, and that's really at the heart of the issue here."

Marles says govt raised concerns with China in both Canberra and Beijing

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By Joshua Boscaini

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles is appearing on all the morning television shows to speak about the Chinese missile test.

As we've been reporting, China test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile armed with a dummy warhead in the Pacific Ocean.

The missile was launched from a submarine, and the ABC has been told it flew over the Exclusive Economic Zones of three Pacific island nations before landing about 1,000 kilometres north-east of the Solomon Islands.

Marles says Australia has expressed its concern over the missile test, but he's been pressed on Sky News about how it has expressed those concerns.

The acting prime minister says he won't go into the detail of it, but that concerns were raised with the Chinese side in both Canberra and Beijing.

"We have directly expressed at a government level our concern about this test,"

Marles says.

Chinese missile flew over EEZs of three Pacific island states, ABC understands

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By Stephen Dziedzic

We are getting a few more details on the long-range missile test-fired by China yesterday.

The ABC has been told it flew over the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of at least three Pacific island states: the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Kiribati.

It landed closest to the EEZs of Tuvalu and Kiribati, perhaps around 1,000 kilometres north-east of Solomon Islands.

The ABC has been told it seemed to have hit the water just outside Tuvalu's EEZ or, potentially, just within.

Marles says China's missile test 'very concerning and deeply destabilising'

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By Joshua Boscaini

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles says the Chinese missile test yesterday implies Beijing wants to extend where it deploys nuclear weapons.

China has test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile armed with a dummy warhead in the Pacific Ocean.

The missile was launched from a submarine, and Taiwan says it travelled over the Philippines and landed near Nauru.

Speaking to Channel Nine, Marles says the action by China undermines a peaceful Pacific.

"This is a long-range missile which China itself has said would be nuclear-capable, which has been launched from a submarine, which also implies something in terms of extending China's range to deploy nuclear weapons. All of that is very concerning and deeply destabilising," he said.

"What we are about is trying to establish a peaceful Pacific, and what this is about is undermining that."

Nuclear-capable missile appears to have landed near Nauru and Tuvalu EEZs

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By Stephen Dziedzic

The nuclear-capable missile China fired into the Pacific yesterday appears to have landed near the exclusive economic zones of Nauru and Tuvalu.

The head of Taiwan's national security council, Joseph Wu, posted an image on social media that shows the missile hitting the water about 1,000 kilometres north-east of the Solomon Islands.

Wu called the test "a provocation that destabilizes the Indo-Pacific".

"China just proved itself again to be a bully on the block," he said.

China has called the missile launch "routine", but both Australia and New Zealand sharply criticised the test, also calling it destabilising.

Some Pacific officials have also expressed unease about the test to the ABC, but so far no Pacific nations have issued public statements criticising Beijing's actions.