A Chinese submarine test-fired a “strategic” missile carrying a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, Beijing said, drawing immediate condemnation from nations in the region.

China made the rare show of its military might on the same day Australia and Fiji signed a major defence treaty, bolstering their ties as Canberra seeks to outmanoeuvre Beijing in the strategically important South Pacific.

New Zealand described the test as involving a nuclear-capable “long-range ballistic missile”, but China’s defence and foreign ministries did not confirm whether an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) had been used.

Monday’s test followed two years after China’s elite Rocket Force fired an ICBM into the sea near French Polynesia, its first launch of such a missile over international waters in more than 40 years.

A nuclear submarine launched a “strategic missile carrying a training simulation warhead” at 12:01 pm (0401 GMT), a Chinese navy statement said, adding that it had “accurately land(ed) in the designated sea area”.

Alex Luck, a naval analyst focused on Chinese military modernisation, told AFP that the missile could have been the advanced submarine-launched ballistic missile JL-3, an extended-range variant of China’s JL-2.

The JL-3 was showcased at a military parade in Beijing last September.

However, Luck said it was “equally plausible” a JL-2 had been tested.

Navy spokesperson Wang Xuemeng said in the WeChat statement the test launch was “a routine arrangement of China’s annual military training”, and that “relevant countries were informed in advance”.

New Zealand’s foreign minister said the launch was carried out “within hours” of his country being told.

“The Pacific is an Ocean of Peace and we are deeply concerned by China’s testing of nuclear-capable weapons into the South Pacific,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement, adding that the launch “is not consistent with regional stability”.

Australia also called the launch “destabilising”, while Japan said it had “expressed serious concerns over China’s increasing military activity”.

Asked about the reactions, China’s foreign affairs ministry said at a regular news briefing on Monday the launch was “not directed at any specific country or target”.

“Related launch operations were conducted safely, in a standardised manner and professionally. It is hoped that relevant countries will not overinterpret this,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.

Beijing has stepped up its nuclear development and boosted defence spending in recent years.

According to the Pentagon, China held more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May 2023 and is likely to have more than 1,000 by 2030.

Beijing test-fired the missile on the same day that it began annual joint naval exercises with Russia off Qingdao, a major military port and seaside resort in China’s east.

The two sides plan to conduct “harbour-based planning” such as “exercises in command and tactical coordination”, according to state news agency Xinhua.

“For the next step, the participating warships will proceed to the sea near Qingdao to conduct drills in areas such as joint reconnaissance, air and missile defence, as well as training in the actual use of weapons,” Xinhua said.

Papua New Guinea’s foreign minister and a New Zealand government source told AFP earlier on Monday that China was preparing to test-fire a nuclear-capable missile into the Pacific Ocean.

“Yes, China has briefed me. I was personally called by the Chinese ambassador,” Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said.