CHINA TESTS LONG-RANGE MISSILE IN THE PACIFICCOMPARATIVE VIEW
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China conducted a long-range ballistic missile test in the South Pacific, alarming its neighbours. Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea condemned the launch while Washington voiced deep concern and Beijing defended it as a routine drill.
🇨🇳 China vs 🇯🇵 Japan
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Chine: Beijing downplays regional alarm: the missile launch from a nuclear submarine, notified in advance to Australia, Japan, and New… — Japon: Tokyo views the trajectory of the Chinese launch as a calculated signal, rather than a direct provocation aimed at the archipelago
Here are the main framing differences identified between media coverages.
ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY
CHINASTATEDOMINANT ANGLE
Beijing downplays regional alarm: the missile launch from a nuclear submarine, notified in advance to Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, is a demonstration of already known capabilities, not an escalation.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- •China's nuclear submarine launched a "strategic missile" with a dummy warhead, the first known test of its kind since 1982, according to the South China Morning Post.
- •Beijing had notified Australia, Japan, and New Zealand in advance of the launch, according to the South China Morning Post.
- •China is the focus of NATO's attention as Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, not Mark Rutte, stated that the Alliance "cannot be naive" when it comes to China, during the Ankara summit.
BIASES
Security-focused framing: Beijing's government emphasizes the reactions of NATO and the IP4 more than the technical content of the test.Preference for Western sources (SCMP) even in a Chinese perspective, limiting the diversity of directly governmental voices, such as those from Beijing.Low coverage of the missile's technical details (trajectory, launch site), which remain unclear according to available articles from China's capital.
JAPANDOMINANT ANGLE
Tokyo views the trajectory of the Chinese launch as a calculated signal, rather than a direct provocation aimed at the archipelago
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- •A Japanese government official stated that the missile was launched from the east of Hainan Island (southern route), rather than the Bohai Sea (northern route), which would have flown over Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone
- •Analyst Hiroki Sonoda believes the launch aimed to showcase the advancements in China's naval nuclear capabilities, following an intercontinental missile test in September 2024
- •NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte framed the launch as proof that one should not be naive in dealing with China, during a meeting with Japanese ministers Motegi and Koizumi on the sidelines of the Alliance summit
BIASES
Japan's government frames the issue in terms of security, focusing on the military implications and technical trajectory of the launch rather than diplomatic channelsJapanese officials and military sources, such as an anonymous official and a former Japan Self-Defense Forces officer, are preferred over official Chinese statementsJapan's media coverage gives little attention to the North Korean context, despite it being discussed in parallel in the Japanese press regarding regional tensions over military capabilities
CHINASTATEDOMINANT ANGLE
Beijing downplays regional alarm: the missile launch from a nuclear submarine, notified in advance to Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, is a demonstration of already known capabilities, not an escalation.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- •China's nuclear submarine launched a "strategic missile" with a dummy warhead, the first known test of its kind since 1982, according to the South China Morning Post.
- •Beijing had notified Australia, Japan, and New Zealand in advance of the launch, according to the South China Morning Post.
- •China is the focus of NATO's attention as Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, not Mark Rutte, stated that the Alliance "cannot be naive" when it comes to China, during the Ankara summit.
BIASES
Security-focused framing: Beijing's government emphasizes the reactions of NATO and the IP4 more than the technical content of the test.Preference for Western sources (SCMP) even in a Chinese perspective, limiting the diversity of directly governmental voices, such as those from Beijing.Low coverage of the missile's technical details (trajectory, launch site), which remain unclear according to available articles from China's capital.
JAPANDOMINANT ANGLE
Tokyo views the trajectory of the Chinese launch as a calculated signal, rather than a direct provocation aimed at the archipelago
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- •A Japanese government official stated that the missile was launched from the east of Hainan Island (southern route), rather than the Bohai Sea (northern route), which would have flown over Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone
- •Analyst Hiroki Sonoda believes the launch aimed to showcase the advancements in China's naval nuclear capabilities, following an intercontinental missile test in September 2024
- •NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte framed the launch as proof that one should not be naive in dealing with China, during a meeting with Japanese ministers Motegi and Koizumi on the sidelines of the Alliance summit
BIASES
Japan's government frames the issue in terms of security, focusing on the military implications and technical trajectory of the launch rather than diplomatic channelsJapanese officials and military sources, such as an anonymous official and a former Japan Self-Defense Forces officer, are preferred over official Chinese statementsJapan's media coverage gives little attention to the North Korean context, despite it being discussed in parallel in the Japanese press regarding regional tensions over military capabilities