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China’s military test-fired a missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the Pacific on Monday, state media reported, drawing criticism and concern from U.S., Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan.
A People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy submarine launched the missile, carrying a dummy warhead, toward international waters in the Pacific at 12:01 p.m. (0401 GMT), the official Xinhua news agency said.
Xinhua described the launch as a “routine arrangement” of China’s annual military training and not directed against any specific country or target. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the launch was conducted “safely, in a standardised and professional manner throughout.”
“We hope relevant countries will not over-interpret the matter,” she said at a briefing in Beijing.
The U.S. monitored China’s test launch from a submarine of an unarmed intercontinental-range ballistic missile that landed in the southern Pacific Ocean, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
“We continue to urge China to engage in meaningful arms control discussions,” Pigott said.
Xinhua did not specify what type of missile China had launched. State-controlled tabloid Global Times, citing a military expert, said it was likely to have been the JL-3, China’s most advanced submarine-launched missile, which debuted at a military parade last year. That missile could reach the continental United States from Chinese coastal waters, according to a Pentagon report.
“The U.S. and others will be watching and analysing the test launch closely for any insights into PLA capability,” said Meia Nouwens, a senior fellow for Chinese security and defence policy at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, referring to the Chinese military.