Page 10 - Islands Business October 2024 edition

Cover Cover

Chinese troops on exercise

MY MISSILE IS BIGGER

THAN YOUR MISSILE

By Nic Maclellan missile into waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
In recent years, Forum Island Countries have sought to
For the first time in more than 40 years, the People’s strengthen disarmament initiatives such as the Treaty of
Republic of China (PRC) has fired an unarmed intercontinental Rarotonga for a South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone (SPNFZ) and
ballistic missile across the Pacific, to splash down in waters the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
near French Polynesia. Last March, Papua New Guinea became the 178th nation to
The Chinese missile test, held on September 25, followed formally ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT),
a series of similar US tests last June, with intercontinental while on September 24, Solomon Islands became the 11th
ballistic missiles (ICBMs) fired from Vandenberg Space Force Forum member country to ratify the TPNW nuclear ban treaty.
Base in California to Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of At the recent Forum leaders’ meeting in Tonga, the final
Marshall Islands. communiqué highlighted concern about regional militarisation
Coming at a time of heightened US-China strategic by the major powers, including a call for an Ocean of Peace
competition in the Pacific islands, there was strong regional and stressing “the emphasis on increasing the region’s focus
condemnation of the Chinese test. It was the first Chinese on the ‘peace’ element of the ‘peace and security’ efforts”.
test launch into the South Pacific since May 1980, when a DF-5
missile was fired into waters past Kiribati (in recent decades, China’s military expansion
China has tested its long-range missiles by firing from its east Less than two hours after last month’s missile test, the PRC
coast toward the Taklamakan Desert in the western Xinjiang Ministry of National Defence issued a statement to announce:
region). “The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force launched an ICBM
North Korea has also carried out numerous ICBM tests since carrying a dummy warhead to the high seas in the Pacific
2017, including a launch last December of a solid-fuelled Ocean at 8.44am on 25 September, and the missile fell into

10 Islands Business, October 2024