China on Wednesday tested an intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a “dummy warhead”its defense ministry said in an unusual statement, as the Asian giant rarely comments on its launches. No details on the precise location of the fall or the nature of the missile were provided. The ministry also did not specify whether the projectile was launched from a submarine or from land. Intercontinental ballistic missiles are among the most powerful weapons in the world and can potentially carry nuclear payloads.
“The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (Chinese army, editor’s note) successfully launched on September 25 at 08:44 (00h44 GMT) “on the high seas in the Pacific Ocean an intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a dummy training warhead. It fell precisely in the predetermined maritime zone”the ministry said. “This missile launch is part of the Rocket Force’s annual routine training program. It effectively tested the performance of weapons and equipment as well as the level of training of the troops, and achieved the expected objective.”the Defense Ministry said.
China has greatly modernized its army in recent decades and its military budget increases every year, in line with its economic growth. A military power sometimes viewed with suspicion by some of its Asian neighbors. The Chinese Defense Ministry, however, stressed on Wednesday that “the countries concerned” by the launch, meaning being in the vicinity or on the trajectory of the missile, had been informed “in advance”.
