French Navy’s Rear Adm. Guillaume Pinget says France viewed the missile test as a demonstration of nuclear deterrence while reaffirming its status as a resident Pacific power.

As Commander of the French Pacific Command, whose area of responsibility extends from the Panama Canal to the Strait of Malacca, Pinget oversees French military operations across one of the world’s largest maritime regions. Speaking only days after Beijing publicly acknowledged the launch of an SLBM carrying what it described as a dummy warhead, Pinget said France closely follows such developments because it is not merely an observer of Indo-Pacific security, but a sovereign Pacific nation with overseas territories, citizens and permanent military forces in the region.

France’s overseas territories in the region are home to around 1.8 million French citizens and account for more than 90 percent of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the world’s second largest.