China test-fires ballistic missile into Pacific Ocean: ‘Not directed against any country’ | All you need to know

In a rare announcement on Wednesday, China's defence ministry said it test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, carrying a simulated warhead, into the Pacific Ocean. The launch of the missile on Wednesday could reportedly threaten the US, Taiwan and Japan.

China's Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Wednesday, "The PLA [People’s Liberation Army] Rocket Force launched an ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] carrying a dummy warhead to the high seas in the Pacific Ocean at 08:44 on September 25th, and the missile fell into expected sea areas."

The ministry said that this test launch is a routine arrangement in our annual training plan. "It is in line with international law and international practice and is not directed against any country or target," the ministry added.

Meanwhile, South China Morning Post quoted the ministry as saying, “[It] achieved the expected purpose. China notified relevant countries in advance.”

This was the first time that China had publicly acknowledged that it successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean.

Following PLA's statement, the Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense posted on X, "PLA recently also has been an intensive execution of missile launches and other training exercises. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."

Taiwan has repeatedly complained of increased Chinese military activities around the island in the past five years. China claims Taiwan as its own territory.

'Extremely unusual'

An analyst told AFP that China has typically conducted such tests in its own airspace.

"This is extremely unusual and likely the first time in decades that we've seen a test like this," Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, was quoted as saying.

"[The test] likely speaks to China's ongoing nuclear modernisation manifesting in new requirements for testing," he added.

The US Defense Department had reportedly said earlier that China possessed more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May 2023 and is likely to have more than 1,000 by 2030.

The Pentagon had said in the report that China’s military is constructing hundreds of secret silos for land-based ICBMs. That compares to 1,770 and 1,710 operational warheads deployed by the US and Russia, respectively, the Guardian reported.

About the intercontinental ballistic missile

An ICBM typically has a range greater than 5,500km (3,420 miles) and is designed to carry nuclear warheads. China’s latest ICBM is known to be DF-41, South China Morning Post reported.

According to the report, DF-41 first came into service in 2017 and has an operational range of up to 12,000–15,000km (7,460-9,320 miles), capable of reaching the US mainland.

The report claimed that it is the first time in 44 years that China is known to have successfully conducted an atmospheric test of an ICBM.

“The first test of a Chinese ICBM took place in May 1980, when a DF-5 flew more than 9,000km. Since then, most of China’s nuclear weapons tests have been conducted underground,” the report added.