China’s Diplomatic Ally Kiribati Criticizes Beijing’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Test

‘Kiribati does not welcome China’s recent ICBM test,’ the island nation’s Presidential Office said.

Taneti Maamau, president of the Pacific island of Kiribati, speaks in a resumed high-level segment on day nine of the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference at Expo City Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 9, 2023. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The central Pacific island nation of Kiribati has criticized China over last month’s test firing of an intercontinental missile, saying that it “does not welcome” Beijing’s action.

China test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean on Sept. 25, a move that has drawn concerns from the governments of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Japan, and Taiwan.