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China has launched its intercontinental ballistic missile, firing it into the Pacific Ocean in a rare trial of military might.
China in recent years has stepped up in its nuclear development, with its arsenal more quickly developed than the United States had anticipated.
China held more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May 2023 and is likely to have more than 1,000 by 2030, it said.
Chinese military’s “Rocket Force launched an ICBM… carrying a dummy warhead to the high seas in the Pacific Ocean at 08:44 on September 25, and the missile fell into expected sea areas,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
According to analysts, China has conducted such tests in its own airspace.
Stanton Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Ankit Panda, said, “This is extremely unusual and likely the first time in decades that we have seen a test like this.
“(The test) likely speaks to China’s ongoing nuclear modernisation manifesting in new requirements for testing.”
China’s defence ministry, however, called the firing a “routine arrangement in our annual training plan”.
“It is in line with international law and international practice and is not directed against any country or target,” it said.
The United States and China in November held rare talks on nuclear arms control, part of a bid to ease mistrust ahead of a summit between leaders Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.
But Beijing hinted that it had suspended negotiations with the United States on nuclear non-proliferation and arms control in response to Washington’s weapons sales to Taiwan.
In an annual report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said China had the world’s third-largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, after Russia and the United States.
Beijing had announced earlier this year that it would boost its defense budget – the world’s second-largest – by 7.2 per cent.
The boost comes as China increasingly squares off with the United States and its regional partners from the South China Sea to Taiwan.
Earlier this month, China and the United States held “in-depth” talks as part of a bid by the powers to avoid wider tensions escalating into conflict.
Since its first nuclear test in 1964, China has been content to maintain a comparatively modest arsenal and has maintained that it will never be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.
Under President Xi, China has begun a massive military modernisation drive that includes upgrading its nuclear weapons to not only deter foes but also be able to counter-attack.
But Beijing’s secretive Rocket Force, which carried out Wednesday’s test and oversees the country’s nuclear arsenal, has also been the target of an aggressive, wide-ranging anti-graft campaign.
AFP
