Chinese missile tests cast long shadow over Pacific Islands

This year’s annual summit of Pacific Island Forum (PIF) leaders, occurring less than two months after China fired a long-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile into the South Pacific, was an opportunity for the region to speak collectively about its security and sovereignty concerns.At the end of the summit, 16 of 18 Pacific states endorsed a joint statement registering “concern on the recent intercontinental ballistic missile test which overflew a number of members without adequate notice.” Of the 18, only Nauru and Kiribati, both of which enjoy close ties to Beijing, declined to sign the st