Expert Explains: Why Indo-Pacific powers, including India, should worry about China’s new ballistic missile test
China tested a sea-based long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week, marking its first-ever launch of a submarine-based ballistic missile in international waters. This test, conducted from a PLA Navy Jin-class Type 094 submarine, covered a distance of 7,300 km, flying over the Philippines before landing in the Southern Pacific Ocean, violating the Treaty of Rarotonga's nuclear-free zone. For India and other Indo-Pacific powers, this development highlights the growing strategic gap in nuclear capabilities between China and its regional rivals.