China’s Diplomatic Ally Kiribati Criticizes Beijing’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Test

The central Pacific island nation of Kiribati has criticized China over last month’s test firing of an intercontinental missile, saying that it “does not welcome” Beijing’s action. China test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean on Sept. 25, a move that has drawn concerns from the governments of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Japan, and Taiwan. The Kiribati President’s Office said in an Oct. 5 statement on Facebook that Kiribati did not receive a notice from China before the missile test. “Kiribati does not welcome China’s recent ICBM test, including other countries that had tested similar weapons in the recent past,” the statement reads....