‘Respect Our Region’: Pacific Leaders React to Beijing’s Missile Test

Beijing’s missile test has been met with shock and concern from Pacific nation leaders, who were not informed ahead of the launch. The intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), fired on Sept. 25, was reported to have landed in the ocean some 700 kilometres (435 miles) away from French Polynesia’s Marquesas Islands, outside its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It is the first time Beijing has launched an ICBM into the Pacific Ocean in over four decades. It is believed to have been a Dong Feng-41, an ICBM known for its maximum range, estimated between 12,000 and 15,000 kilometres, making it China’s longest-range missile. It can carry up to 10 independently targetable nuclear warheads (MIRVs), allowing it to strike multiple targets simultaneously with an accuracy of about 100 metres....