The Department of National Defense (DND) has criticized China’s recent ballistic missile test in the South Pacific, describing it as a reckless display of force that heightens regional tensions and ignores the security concerns of smaller nations.
In a statement, the DND said the missile launch “serves no peaceful purpose” and instead reflects what it called “a calculated act of taunting and provocation” against countries resisting China’s “illegal expansionism and coercive conduct.”
The defense department also warned that such military actions place pressure not only on regional stability but also on fragile marine ecosystems that many Pacific communities rely on for food, livelihood, and survival.
The DND said the Philippines stands with its Pacific partners in calling on China to act responsibly, exercise restraint, and stop treating shared waters as “arenas of intimidation and imperial ambition.”