TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kiribati has criticized China for its ballistic missile launch late last month.
China’s Ministry of Defense said the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Sept. 25, which landed in “expected sea areas.” The ministry said the launch was in line with international law and stressed that it was not directed at any country.
Kiribati’s Office of the President issued a statement on Sunday (Oct. 6), saying it did not receive any notification from China about the launch. The Chinese Embassy in Kiribati told the office the test “was not meant to target Kiribati or any other country in the Pacific,” so no warning was given.
The office said it did not welcome the launch and urged countries to cease weapons testing to preserve global peace and stability. “The high seas in the Pacific are not isolated pockets of oceans, they are part of our Blue Pacific Continent and are parts of Kiribati,” it added.
The condemnation comes as China expands its strategic presence in the Pacific. China established diplomatic ties with Kiribati and the Solomon Islands in 2019 after they severed relations with Taiwan. Beijing has since increased security cooperation with the two countries.
In February, Kiribati's acting police commissioner Eeri Aritiera told Reuters that Chinese police were deployed to work with local counterparts. The Chinese police delegation assists the Kiribati police force with community policing, martial arts training, and IT-related matters Aritiera said in an email. They arrived in 2023 on a six-month rotation, he said.
In 2022, China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands to maintain social order, combat natural disasters, and uphold national security, according to then-Chinese foreign ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin (汪文斌). One year later, the two countries finalized a deal to boost cooperation with China on "law enforcement and security matters." China agreed to “provide support and help to Solomon Islands as needed in strengthening Solomon Islands' police law enforcement capacity," per a joint statement.
