The military today said it has been closely monitoring recent missile launches by the Chinese military, after China publicly acknowledged for the first time that it successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean.
The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force at 8:44am today and "fell into expected sea areas," the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said in a statement, adding it was a "routine arrangement in our annual training plan" and not directed at any country or target.
Photo: EPA-EFE
China "informed the countries concerned in advance," according to a separate Xinhua report, which did not clarify the path of the missile or where exactly in the "high seas of the Pacific Ocean" it fell.
The launch "effectively tested the performance of weapons and equipment and the training level of the troops, and achieved the expected goal," Xinhua reported.
The Ministry of National Defense also said it had detected 23 Chinese military aircraft from 7:10am, including J-16 fighters and drones, operating around Taiwan carrying out long-range missions to the southeast and east of the nation.
The ministry added it had also recently detected "intensive" Chinese missile firing and other drills, although it did not give details of where that took place.
Taiwan has dispatched air and naval forces to keep watch, the ministry said.
The PLA Rocket Force, which oversees the country's conventional and nuclear missiles, has been tasked with modernizing China's nuclear forces to deter developments such as improved US missile defenses, better surveillance capabilities and strengthened alliances.
However, some analysts argue the speed of China's nuclear build-up goes beyond a credible minimum deterrence.
Beijing says it adheres to a "no first use" policy.
The Chinese military has emphasized that the Central Military Commission, headed by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), is the only nuclear command authority.
China, which has been frequently criticized by the US for the opacity of its nuclear build-up, scrapped nuclear talks with Washington in July over US arms sales to Taiwan.
China has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads in its arsenal, of which about 350 are ICBMs, and will probably have more than 1,000 warheads by 2030, the Pentagon estimated last year.
China's military is constructing hundreds of secret silos for land-based ICBMs, the Pentagon said in the report.
That compares to 1,770 and 1,710 operational warheads deployed by the US and Russia respectively.
The Pentagon said that by 2030, much of Beijing's weapons will likely be held at higher readiness levels.
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