French Polynesia said a Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched into the Pacific landed near its exclusive economic zone, as Beijing's first such tests in four decades drew a chorus of protests.
China's Defence Ministry had announced the rare trial on Wednesday, saying that the missile was carrying a dummy warhead and "fell into expected sea areas".
The launch sparked protests from countries in the region, with Japan saying it had not been given advance notice, and Taiwan expressing "solemn condemnation".
Australia said it was seeking an explanation, while New Zealand called the launch "an unwelcome and concerning development".
French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson earlier told AFP that "the missile fell not far from ... the Marquesas Islands", an archipelago that is part of its exclusive economic zone.
"The Chinese authorities previously notified their French counterparts of this test," the French High Commission said in a statement – adding that France would make its position on the test known.
The Pentagon also said the United States received "some advanced notification of this ICBM test", describing this as "a step in the right direction" that would help prevent "misperception or miscalculation".
China's military on Thursday released imagery of the missile, showing the projectile soaring into the air in a plum of smoke from an undisclosed location.
The Chinese Defence Ministry described the test launch as a "routine arrangement in our annual training plan" than is "in line with international law and international practice and is not directed against any country or target".
Analysts said the imagery suggested the launch could be of a Dongfeng-31 AG ICBM, unveiled during a military parade in 2017.
Nuclear development
Beijing has stepped up its nuclear development and boosted defence spending in recent years, with the Pentagon warning last October that China was developing its arsenal more quickly than the United States had anticipated.
China held more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May 2023 and is likely to have more than 1,000 by 2030, the Pentagon said.
But analyst Benjamin Ho, of Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said Beijing was clearly trying to signal its strength.
"It sends a signal to the US and its allies... that China has the military ability to react in the event of any escalation of tensions between the United States and China," he told the French press agency AFP.
(with newswires)
