PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 6th, 2026: China Launches One Of Its Most Dangerous Weapons

**Mike Baker** (0:12)
It's Monday, July 6th. Welcome to The PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, China conducts a rare submarine launch of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile into the Pacific. We'll explain why US allies are calling the test destabilizing and what it reveals about Beijing's rapidly expanding nuclear capabilities and ambitions. Later in the show, Hamas says it's prepared to step aside in Gaza, but there's a caveat here. The terror group still refuses to surrender its weapons. We'll explain why that missing concession could keep President Trump's ceasefire plan deadlocked. But first, today's afternoon spotlight.
China has carried out a rather rare and highly symbolic military test that's raising concerns across the Indo-Pacific. On Monday, the Chinese Navy announced that it successfully launched a long-range ballistic missile from one of its nuclear-powered submarines, sending a simulated warhead into a designated area of the Pacific Ocean. Beijing insists the launch was nothing more than a routine military exercise conducted in accordance with international law. But America's allies in the region, well, they're not buying that explanation, warning instead that the test marks another step in China's increasingly assertive military posture. According to China's state-run media, the missile was fired just after noon Beijing time and accurately struck its intended target somewhere in the Pacific. Officials did not specify either the launch location or the exact impact point, though outside analysts believe the missile was likely fired from waters near northeastern China before flying thousands of miles into the South Pacific.
Experts believe the missile was either the JL-2 or more likely China's newer JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile. Both are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, but the JL-3 represents a significant leap in capability. With an estimated range of more than 6,000 miles, it gives China the ability to threaten targets across the Pacific, including much of the continental United States, without its submarines, by the way, needing to venture far from Chinese waters.
Now, it's worth noting that countries, including the US, do routinely test ballistic missiles. What makes this launch significant isn't simply that China fired another missile, it's where it fired it from and what that says about Beijing's evolving nuclear strategy.
To understand why, it helps to take a quick look at what's known as the nuclear triad. Every major nuclear power seeks three ways to deliver nuclear weapons, land-based missiles, strategic bombers, and submarines. And that third leg is often considered the most survivable because submarines are, of course, difficult to detect and destroy. And having multiple means of launching essentially guarantees a second strike capability, which is a cornerstone of nuclear deterrence. Historically, however, China's submarine force has been viewed as the weakest part of its nuclear arsenal. Chinese submarines have generally been noisier than their American counterparts. And in the world of submarines, noisy isn't good. It makes them easier to detect and track. For years, that limited the credibility of China's sea-based nuclear deterrent. But Beijing has spent the better part of the past decade now trying to change that. Under Xi Jinping, the People's Liberation Army has undergone one of the most ambitious military modernization programs in the country's history. China has constructed hundreds of new missile silos, expanded its road mobile missile force, upgraded long range bombers to carry nuclear capable weapons, and invested heavily in a new generation of submarines and submarine launched missiles.
US. Naval officials have already warned that China's rapidly expanding shipbuilding and submarine production could allow it to seriously challenge American undersea dominance by somewhere around 2040 Monday's missile launch appears designed to demonstrate that Beijing is making tangible progress toward that goal.
Perhaps just as notable is the fact that China chose to conduct and publicly announce the test. For decades, Beijing generally confined long-range missile testing to remote areas within its own territory, avoiding launches across the Pacific that might alarm neighboring countries. Analysts say that this latest test represents a noticeable shift. Rather than minimizing the visibility of its growing military capability, China appears increasingly willing to showcase them. And the reaction across the region was swift. Australia's Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, called the launch, quote, destabilizing, arguing that it comes amid China's rapid military buildup and continued lack of transparency regarding its strategic intentions.
Japan issued a formal protest after being notified that debris from the launch could potentially fall near its exclusive economic zone, expressing what it called, quote, serious concern over China's expanding military activities. And New Zealand likewise condemned the launch, saying Pacific nations have no interest in becoming a testing ground for Chinese missile capabilities.
The timing also drew attention. The test coincided with Australia signing a new defense agreement with Fiji, part of Canberra's broader effort to strengthen security partnerships across the Pacific as China's influence in the region continues to grow.