Japan approves missile launch without prior notification -worrying- Philippines issued air traffic advisory

In a recent statement, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga revealed that Japan was not informed in advance about China’s missile launch. He voiced concerns regarding the swift military expansion of the Chinese Communist Party. The Guardian reported that Philippine officials confirmed they issued a flight advisory on the 25th for the northwestern and northeastern regions of the Philippines, citing potential disruptions to air travel “related to this launch.” The advisories specifically pointed to “China’s actions,” although it remains unclear if China had notified the Philippines about the intercontinental ballistic missile launch beforehand.

The Guardian also mentioned that similar flight advisories were issued for waters near French Polynesia. Experts suggest that these alerts indicate the missile might have been launched from Hainan Island or a nearby location, landing in the South Pacific close to French Polynesia.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressed that the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile landing in the South Pacific is an “unwelcome and concerning development.” He stressed that leaders in the Pacific have made it clear they desire a region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and secure.

Historically, China has conducted its nuclear tests domestically, with previous intercontinental missile tests typically directed westward into the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang. Tong Zhao, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted on the social media platform X, “Unless I’ve missed something, I think this is essentially the first time in a long while that this kind of situation has occurred with such an announcement.”

Zhao further commented, “Given that they don’t normally or annually do this, it’s quite odd for Beijing to label this launch as ‘routine’ and ‘annual.'”

On the other hand, Senior Research Fellow Antonia Chen from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore remarked on X that “timing is everything.” She believes that although China claims the launch is not directed at any specific country, significant tensions exist between China and both Japan and the Philippines, as well as ongoing issues with Taiwan.

Chen emphasized, “This launch is a strong signal aimed at intimidating everyone.” In an interview with The New York Times, she added, “This missile test serves as a reminder to China’s adversaries that its patience has limits and underscores the CCP’s acute sense of risk and vulnerability.”