Philippines ‘notes with concern’ China missile test criticized by Pacific neighbors

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs has urged China to exercise restraint and act with greater transparency after it fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile from a submarine into the Pacific. 

The DFA on Wednesday, July 8, said it noted the launch with concern and that the Philippines was given notice on July 5, a day before China carried out the test as part of a military exercise. 

It asked all sides to follow international norms and avoid steps that raise the risk of miscommunication.

A day earlier, the Department of National Defense (DND) called the test "a reckless display of military power" and "a calculated act of taunting and provocation" against countries that reject Beijing's claims in the region. 

DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said China was turning shared waters into arenas of intimidation.

China's People's Liberation Army Navy fired the missile, which carried a dummy warhead, from the South China Sea around noon Monday. 

A flight-path map released by the secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council showed it crossing the northern coast of Luzon before landing in the Pacific between Nauru and Tonga.  

The missile launch has not sat well with other nearby nations, with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters calling the launch "unwelcome and concerning" and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying it was a "provocative act." Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale, whose government is close to Beijing, said it was "not something a friend does." 

The US Embassy in Manila yesterday said it shared the Philippines' concerns.