Australia and New Zealand both said they were not given enough prior notice about the test, and other countries like Japan said it was done without transparency. Canberra and Wellington are two of the South Pacific's biggest powers and have grown anxious about Beijing's attempts to vie for sway in the region. Bilateral deals between China and the leaders of small Pacific nations have prompted Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to embark on a charm offensive of his own. That has included defence and security pacts inked with Vanuatu, Fiji and Papua New Guinea in the past year