China Tests Missiles, Tonga Ratifies CTBT

(Central News Agency, reporter Qiu De-zhen, Sydney, July 8) As China test-fired a submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead into the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand media RNZ reported today that Tonga has become the 179th country to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Tonga's representative to the UN headquarters, Viliami Va'inga Tōnē, stated that nuclear testing activities have brought suffering to the Pacific region, and ratifying the treaty is intended to prevent this suffering from spreading elsewhere.

New Zealand's public broadcasting media RNZ emphasized in its headline, "Amid China's Missile Controversy, Tonga Ratifies Nuclear Test Ban Treaty." The report mentioned that Australian Prime Minister Albanese signed a security and defense cooperation treaty with Fiji during his visit on July 6. On the same day, China test-fired a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead into the Pacific.

China's missile test has drawn protests from several countries in the region. Australia and New Zealand have both accused China of undermining regional peace and stability, and of violating the values advocated by Pacific island nations in the Pacific Forum's initiative for the Pacific to be an "Ocean of Peace."

At a ceremony held at the UN headquarters in New York, Viliami Va'inga Tōnē stated that the country's formal ratification of the CTBT is not only a legal procedure but also a significant declaration of Tonga's stance against nuclear testing.

Tōnē said, "The Pacific region has suffered from nuclear testing in the past; ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is to ensure that no one, anywhere, will experience such suffering again."

Robert Floyd, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), stated that Tonga's action "significantly contributes to the global endeavor to achieve a comprehensive ban on nuclear explosions."

Following Tonga's ratification of the CTBT, the treaty now has 188 signatories and 179 ratifying states. Additionally, Tonga is a party to the 1985 South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga). (Editor: Chen Hui-ping) 1150708

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