Chinese state media has argued that the stronger China's strategic nuclear forces become, the more they contribute to stability in the Indo-Pacific region, following China's test-launch on Friday of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from a nuclear-powered submarine toward international waters in the Pacific. Experts analyze that the launch expressed China's dissatisfaction not only with Japan, which seeks to intervene in the Taiwan issue, but also with the United States.
The Global Times, China's state-run English-language newspaper, argued in a Saturday editorial titled "The stronger China's strategic nuclear forces, the more surely regional peace is guaranteed" that "China's building of nuclear system capabilities has achieved another milestone." The paper claimed that "this not only demonstrates to the outside world China's will and ability to resolutely defend national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, but also provides a strong guarantee for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region."
The editorial took the position that the launch contributes to peace in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea. Targeting "Taiwan independence" forces, Japan, and some South China Sea countries, it argued that "certain forces have never given up on 'salami-slicing' adventurism that gambles on China being unable to take real action, and this mindset is rooted in blind faith in and worship of the United States' strategic nuclear strike capability." Salami tactics refer to a strategy of achieving a large goal not all at once but by dividing it into very thin slices and carrying it out step by step, so that the opponent does not notice or is given no justification for retaliation.
It stressed that "strengthening China's strategic nuclear forces will make external powers and their followers abandon attempts to force Chinese concessions through maximum military pressure or preemptive strikes, fundamentally lowering the risk of large-scale conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea."
China maintains that there is no procedural problem, as it notified relevant countries diplomatically in advance before the launch. It also dismissed international criticism as "noise" from some Western countries. The editorial noted that "despite China's prior notification to relevant countries, some discordant voices have emerged," pointing out that these are "mainly voices from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and some Western media." It went on to argue that "most of the complaints currently being raised remain at the level of grumbling from working-level authorities, which instead shows that China's peaceful actions in recent years have built the trust of the international community."
The editorial also stated that "the poorer and weaker China was, the more the Asia-Pacific was marred by conflict, and the stronger and more prosperous China becomes, the more it has contributed to regional peace and prosperity."
Earlier, Wang Xuemeng, spokesman for the People's Liberation Army Navy, announced at 12:01 p.m. local time the previous day that one of the Chinese Navy's strategic nuclear submarines had successfully launched one "submarine-launched strategic missile" carrying a training dummy warhead toward international waters in the Pacific, and that it had accurately entered the designated waters. This is the first time China has launched a strategic missile from a nuclear submarine.
The Chinese Navy drew a line, saying the missile test-launch was a regular part of China's annual military training schedule and was not aimed at any specific country or target, but neighboring countries immediately protested.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara pointed out at a regular briefing that day that "this kind of Chinese military activity has become a serious concern for Japan and the international community due to its lack of transparency." Taiwan strongly criticized the act as threatening the international community and raising regional tensions. Australia and New Zealand protested that China was using the South Pacific as a missile test site. The United States also criticized China's rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup as causing great concern for the region and the world.
There is an assessment that China is raising the level of pressure on Japan amid China-Japan tensions reaching their peak. Professor Shin Kawashima of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo described the missile launch as "part of a strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones," adding that "there is also a possibility that China will launch a missile to land in Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ)."
Experts further analyze that the launch carries a strong character of expressing dissatisfaction with and pressuring the United States. Katsuya Yamamoto, head of the Strategy and Deterrence Group at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, told the Asahi Shimbun that "militarily, the purpose is to confirm whether submarine crews can launch missiles normally and whether the missile's performance meets expectations," and that "politically, it is a message conveying to the United States that China is not satisfied with the current U.S.-China relationship."
He said that "the meaning is clear given that it was launched toward the Pacific and that the SLBM is basically a weapon aimed at the United States," adding that "it may be an expression of dissatisfaction with President Trump, who has not changed his perception surrounding the Taiwan issue even after the U.S.-China summit."
