China's nuclear-capable long-range missile splashdown in the Pacific has been condemned as a "provocative act" by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, while Tonga's Prime Minister Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua warned it "caused a bit of a stir" and created tension across the region. Canberra's response has been a classic soft-power counter: a $600 million rugby league diplomacy push in Papua New Guinea and a stadium embrace with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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