China ally Kiribati criticises Chinese ICBM test: ‘stop these acts to maintain world peace’

Kiribati, a Pacific Ocean neighbour of Hawaii with a vast exclusive economic zone of 3.6 million square km (1.4 million square miles) has developed close ties to Beijing in recent years, including hosting Chinese police.

Kiribati did not receive notice from China about the missile launch, the Kiribati President’s Office said in a statement on social media.

It was told by the Chinese embassy there was no need to alert Kiribati because the test was not meant to target any country in the Pacific, the statement added.

“Kiribati does not welcome China’s recent ICBM test,” the statement said. It also criticised other unnamed countries for past weapons tests.