News and politics live updates: Richard Marles’ warning to China after ballistic missile launch

Solomon Islands Prime Minister has mirrored comments from Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, blasting China for their unfriendly decision to test a missile in the Pacific.

Speaking alongside Albanese, PM Matthew Wale said: “China is a good friend of Solomon Islands, but this is not something a friend does.”

“We don’t want anyone testing the intercontinental ballistic missiles in the Pacific Island region. That’s the bottom line.

“Be our friend, but don’t threaten us, it is not good in our region,” he said, later adding that such tests were further evidence that the Pacific Islands should create a regional defence pact.

His comments come just hours after Angus Taylor’s Darwin press conference, where the Liberal leader branded Monday’s missile test as “not the acts of a friend”.

The time to regulate artificial intelligence before it does serious harm is running out, an Australian minister has warned, amid growing examples of the technology hacking, blackmailing and deceiving its creators.

Technology Assistant Minister Andrew Charlton issued the warning at the AI Safety Forum in Sydney on Tuesday, while revealing government agencies had begun testing powerful AI models and launched two research projects.

The announcement comes months after the launch of Australia’s AI Safety Institute but also after the government changed its approach to regulating the technology, moving from mandatory guardrails to updating existing laws.

In his most detailed public discussion about the government’s plans, Mr Charlton said the institute had begun testing AI tools as evaluations showed they could make harmful decisions without human oversight.

“AI systems are already doing things their creators never intended: cheating deceiving, going their own way,” he said.

“The time to get ahead of that behaviour is while it’s still confined to the testing lab, not after it reaches the real world.”

​Read the full story. ​

- with AAP

Hours after the US State Department issued a statement expressing concern over China undermining nuclear non-proliferation, the Australian Prime Minister has shared a similar message.

Anthony Albanese confirmed that Australia would continue to argue against the spread of nuclear weapons following a missile test in the South Pacific.

“Our concern here isn’t just the lack of notice that occured; it is the fact that this was a test of a nuclear capable intercontinental ballistic missile fired from a nuclear powered submarine,” the Prime Minister said from the Solomon Islands.

“That is of real concern because what we need is less nuclear weapons, certainly not more, and the fact that this test took place yesterday with very little notice is of real concern.

“We join that as part of the concerns . . . the nature of the weapon that was tested has the capacity clearly to reach a long range and to cause considerabe damage were it to be weaponised.”

Former Australian Major General Mick Ryan has urged Australia to increase their defence spending as the threat of China grows.

The retired Major General told Sky News on Tuesday that Australia’s relationship has not stabilised with the Asian powerhouse, despite government claims.

“China is getting more powerful and more aggressive, and we need to increase defence spending,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has delivered a speech at the Solomon Islands Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday.

The Australian leader congratulated Solomon Islanders for 48 years of independence from the United Kingdom.

He also praised the nation’s leaders, saying that independence may have been formalised by the British parliament but it was brought to life through leadership.

“Because the sovereignty of independence is not a condition that one country can bestow on another, it is a right and a reponsibility,” he said.

“Sovereignty, stability, prosperity and peace are not born of one moment in time. They are built, maintained, and secured down the generations.”

In the speech, Albanese also said that the nations are negotiating a new treaty to bring them closer.

The US State Department has expressed “great concern” over China firing a nuclear-capable missile into the southern Pacific.

In a statement about Monday’s missile test, concerns were aired about China working to undermine nuclear non-proliferation.

“The United States monitored China’s test launch from a submarine of an unarmed interocntinental-range ballistic missile, which landed in the southern Pacific Ocean,” a spokesperson for the Department said.

“At a time when the United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation, China is doing the opposite.”

The State Department urged China to engage in “meaningful arms control discussions and commit to a regularised notification arrangement for all intercontinental-range ballistic missile and space launches”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has addressed concerns over China’s recent missile test.

Speaking from the Solomon Islands on their Independence Day, Mr Albanese blasted the last-minute notice provided to Pacific nations ahead of the missile test.

“We’ve made clear our concerns to China in both Beijing and Canberra - and I’m making our concerns clear here as well in Honiara,” the Australian leader said.

“We don’t want to see any action that is destabilising or which undermines the peace, security and stability of the Pacific and the region.

“There is no doubt that this is a provocative act by China which does destablise the region.

“Therefore, we will put forth our strong view - we have said consistently that we want to cooperate with China where we can, we’ll disagree where we must and we’ll engage in our national interest.

“This is one of those occasions where we must disagree with this action and in particular, we point out that it is standard procedure for tests such as this, for there to be given 48-hours’ notice - this was not done on this occasion.”

A Chinese mouthpiece has defended Monday’s missile launch over the South Pacific as “necessary and restrained”, telling countries in the region to “get used to” China’s nuclear program.

The Global Times tabloid, which is owned by the Chinese Community Party, wrote in an editorial that Beijing sending notice to regional countries hours before the test were “goodwill measures taken by China”.

“China’s actions were reasonable and lawful, fully demonstrating its sense of responsibility as a major power,” the state-owned tabloid wrote.

“Despite advanced notification, there remains some discordant voices internationally, primarily from nations such as Australia and New Zealand.

“However, the current complaints mostly amount to grumbling from operational-level authorities, and the overall volume of noises seems significantly lower than in 2024.”

The Global Times piece also argued that China’s display of nuclear capability was necessary for national security.

“China’s nuclear policy has always maintained a high degree of stability, continuity and predictability, which is conducive to safeguarding global strategic stability,” the editorial said.

“As for those voices with ulterior motives, or even those with guilty consciences, whether they are nervous or afraid, this is a situation that they will have to accept and get used to sooner or later.”

Angus Taylor has said China’s testing of nuclear-capable missile in the South Pacific is “not the actions of a friend”, with the Opposition Leader demanding a region free of Chinese government “interference”.

Speaking to media on Tuesday, Mr Taylor labelled the missile test as an act of intimidation, while ramping up rhetoric against the Chinese Communist Party.

“We want to see a South Pacific free from the influence of the People’s Liberation Army and the Chinese Communist Party,” he said in a Darwin press conference.

“We want to see a South Pacific that is stable, that is supportive of trade and commerce and a peaceful environment for people to see prosperity and to see peace.

The Opposition Leader also expressed worries about reports identifying the missile as an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“That’s something we should be deeply concerned about,” he said.

“I mean circumnavigating Australia - we know between Australia and New Zealand they took hostile actions, this is not the action of a friend.

“These are not the acts of a friend, let’s be clear, and that provocation and intimidation is unacceptable.”

The Solomon Islands Prime Minister has used a lengthy speech celebrating Independence Day to reference China’s ballistic missile test.

After addressing domestic challenges impacting the Pacific nation, Prime Minister Matthew Wale detailed some of the security challenges facing the region such as climate change and strategic tensions.

Amid the list was a very brief but clear reference to China’s missile test over the region on Monday.

“We now even have ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) tests - my goodness,” PM Wale said.