Taiwan condemns China's Pacific SLBM test, calls it 'provocation against international community'

Taiwan's government strongly condemned China's test launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) into the open Pacific, calling it an act that threatens the international community and heightens regional tensions.

Guo Yahui, spokesperson for Taiwan's Presidential Office, said Monday in an official statement that China had "continued to escalate military pressure along the island chain and is now threatening the international community with a test launch of a submarine-launched strategic missile," and that Taiwan "strongly condemns this series of unilateral actions."

Guo said China was fueling instability across the Indo-Pacific by expanding military activities and so-called law enforcement operations throughout the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. She urged Beijing to return to a rules-based international order and immediately halt unilateral military actions.

She also said G7 leaders had recently reaffirmed in a joint statement their clear opposition to any attempt by China to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

"Taiwan will continue to strengthen its own defense capabilities to safeguard peace, and expand cooperation with like-minded democratic partners to defend freedom and democracy in the Taiwan Strait," she added.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the government body responsible for cross-strait relations, also issued a separate statement Monday, criticizing China's military for "showing off its military power, escalating tensions in surrounding areas and undermining regional peace and stability." The council called on the international community to jointly respond to China's military expansion and provocative threats.

Earlier Monday, China's military announced it had successfully launched a single submarine-launched strategic missile carrying a simulated training warhead into open waters of the Pacific at 12:01 p.m. local time.

Chinese authorities did not disclose the missile's exact specifications, but military experts believe it is likely the Julang (JL)-3, China's latest third-generation SLBM capable of reaching the continental United States.