Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government had made clear to Beijing its concerns about China’s ballistic missile test.

“We do not want to see any action that is destabilizing or that undermines the peace, security and stability of the Pacific and the region, and there is no doubt that this is a provocative act by China, which destabilizes the region, and therefore we will state our strong opinion,” Albanese said at a press conference alongside his Solomon Islands counterpart Matthew Wale.

“We have consistently said that we want to cooperate with China where we can, we will disagree where necessary and we will engage in our national interests. 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 like this that 48 hours’ notice is given. This was not done on this occasion.”

Wale said: “China is a good friend of the Solomon Islands, but this is not something a friend does. This is not good in our region.

“We don’t want to see more countries – China, the United States, anyone – we don’t want anyone to test intercontinental ballistic missiles. [intercontinental ballistic missiles] in the Pacific Islands region.

“That’s the bottom line. Be our friend, but don’t threaten us.”