China ballistic missile test pushes case for Pacific security pact - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

China's ballistic-missile test demonstrates advanced strike capability in the Indo-Pacific and shifts the regional security calculus, potentially incentivizing vulnerable Pacific island nations to hedge toward Chinese security partnerships rather than rely on distant allies. This directly threatens Australia's traditional influence in the Pacific and raises the prospect of Chinese military footprints in strategically critical island territories, eroding Australia's maritime security buffer and alliance cohesion.