This week, China test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean, a rare occurrence that has heightened tensions in a region already fraught with competing territorial claims and geopolitical rivalry between Beijing and Washington.
According to a statement from the Chinese defense ministry, the missile launch was part of routine training exercises conducted by the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, responsible for overseeing conventional and nuclear missile operations. The ministry emphasized that the test was not directed at any specific country or target.
The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, successfully landed in a predetermined area in the sea, though the ministry did not disclose the exact location.
China seldom tests ICBMs in international waters. Experts suggest that the last such test occurred in May 1980, when a DF-5 missile was launched into the South Pacific. Typically, Chinese ballistic missile tests take place in the country's Xinjiang region or the Bohai Sea.
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