For the first time, Beijing has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the waters of the Pacific from a nuclear-powered submarine.

The missile carried a dummy warhead, Chinese state media said, and the exact landing location is still unknown.

Overnight, it emerged that the missile had flown over multiple Pacific nations and appeared to have hit waters close to Tuvalu's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

This is a region where China is increasingly trying to gain a strategic foothold, and the launch marks a history-making moment that forms part of a broader Chinese campaign to assert its geopolitical, economic and military power in Australia's backyard.

China has spent the last 12 months welcoming leaders from across the world, reshaping its position in the geopolitical global order and challenging the standing of the United States.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-07/china-pacific-nuclear-missile-launch-and-military-navy-warning/106888082