Overview
- A U.S.-led joint statement issued on Tuesday at the Conference on Disarmament urged all countries to provide at least 24 hours’ advance notice before launching ICBMs, SLBMs or space launch vehicles.
- Signatories said notices should give the missile or rocket class, a launch window, the launch area and planned flight direction and should warn airmen and mariners about expected impact or landing zones.
- China rejected the appeal, with its disarmament ambassador calling the move political manipulation and saying Beijing’s military modernization should not be questioned.
- Regional reaction was mixed: Australia, Palau, the Marshall Islands and New Zealand joined the statement while many Southeast Asian and Pacific governments declined to sign because of economic and diplomatic ties to China.
- The statement sets a political norm rather than a legal rule and builds on the Hague Code of Conduct, which already offers voluntary prelaunch notices but omits key missile states, so its impact depends on sustained diplomatic pressure and wider uptake.