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China's long-range missile test raises concerns

2024-09-25 20:33:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

China's long-range missile test raises concerns

China says it has conducted a rare test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in international waters, prompting protests from neighboring countries.

Wednesday's launch, the first in more than 40 years, was "routine" and did not target any country or target, according to Beijing.

Chinese media reported that the government also gave notice to "relevant countries" where the test would take place, but Japan said it had not received a warning and expressed concern, along with Australia and New Zealand.

The launch contributes to tensions across the Indo-Pacific region, with analysts saying it highlights China's growing long-range nuclear capabilities.

The US warned last year that China has been building up its nuclear arsenal as part of a defense upgrade. An intercontinental ballistic missile can travel more than 5,500 km - putting China within striking range of the US mainland and Hawaii.

But Beijing's arsenal is still estimated at less than a fifth the size of those of the US and Russia, and China has long maintained that its nuclear deterrent is only about deterrence.

On Wednesday, Beijing announced that the long-range missile was launched at 08:44 local time (04:44 GMT).

Beijing's Defense Ministry added that the test launch was "routine" and part of an "annual exercise".

But analysts said China was last known to have tested an ICBM internationally in the 1980s. Typically, it tests domestically - having previously fired ICBMs to the west in the Taklamakan Desert in the Xinjiang region./ CNA





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