China reported for the first time on the test of an intercontinental ballistic missile

For the first time, China publicly announced the successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean.

Chinaʼs Ministry of Defense released a statement that the Peopleʼs Liberation Army of China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead at 08:44 Beijing time. She "landed in a predetermined sea area."

The Ministry of Defense also added that the launch is "a normal event for annual military exercises, complies with international law and practice and is not aimed at any specific country or target."

Chinaʼs state-run Xinhua News Agency added that Beijing had "informed concerned countries in advance" of the test, but did not specify the missileʼs trajectory or exactly where in the "open sea of the Pacific Ocean" it fell.

Ankit Panda, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told AFP that China routinely conducts such tests in its own airspace. And this event indicates Chinaʼs nuclear modernization, which is manifested in new requirements for tests.

• According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China has increased its nuclear arsenal from 350 warheads to 410 by 2023. Last year, China spent $11.8 billion on its nuclear arsenal.
• China competes with the United States and Russia for the number of nuclear weapons — according to Pentagon estimates, China will have 1,500 such weapons by 2035. This is the fastest pace of arms buildup in the world, ahead of US projections.