China test-fires intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean

Wednesday, 25 September 2024

China has test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean.

The country’s defence ministry said the ICBM carried a dummy warhead and fell into a designated area of the sea.

The ministry statement said the launch was part of annual routine training. It added the launch complied with international law and was not directed against any country or target.

It is the first time China has publicly acknowledged a successful ICBM launch into the Pacific ocean, Reuters reported. The move is likely to raise global concerns about a possible nuclear build up.

It is unclear how often China conducts tests over such a distance. In 1980, China launched an ICBM into the South Pacific.

A map published in Chinese newspapers at the time showed the target area as roughly a circle in the centre of a ring formed by the Solomon Islands, Nauru, the Gilbert Islands, Tuvalu, western Samoa, Fiji and the New Hebrides.