China fires long-range missile from submarine amid regional concerns

What happened

China test-fired a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear submarine into the Pacific Ocean on Monday at 12:01pm (04:01 GMT), landing in "designated waters". The US, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand raised concerns. Separately, China and Russia are holding joint naval drills off Qingdao from Monday to July 13.

Why it matters

The US urged China to engage in arms control discussions. Australia called the test destabilising due to a rapid military build-up. Japan expressed grave concern over increased activity. New Zealand considers it an unwelcome development and opposes using the South Pacific as a testing site. The drills follow Putin's visit, highlighting high-level bilateral relations.