The weapon tested on Wednesday was an ICBM, an intercontinental missile that by definition has a range of at least 5,500 kilometers. And this one seems to be capable of much more; according to French Polynesia, the missile landed near the Marquesas Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – over 10,000 kilometers from China.
The test missile was equipped with a fake warhead, but ICBMs are exclusively designed to carry nuclear weapons. And especially since China, as far as is known, has not conducted such a test over international waters since 1980, it raises great concern about what plans the dictatorship has.
Never First
A spokesperson who was asked about the matter in Beijing on Thursday assured, however, that the test launch was "routine".
China's nuclear weapons policy is very stable, unified, and predictable, said Zhang Xiaogang from the defense department according to news agencies.
We strictly follow the line of never being the first to use nuclear weapons, but having them for self-defense.
Zhang added that China "has promised not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states" – a highly topical issue since Russia said last week that it is prepared to use atomic bombs in more contexts than before.
"Unwelcome Development"
Meanwhile, Taiwan is sounding the alarm about an unusually high number of Chinese military planes around the island nation.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns China's continued military actions in the region, which threaten the peaceful situation", writes Taiwan's leadership in a communiqué, reports news agency AFP.
Australia is demanding an "explanation" from China, while New Zealand calls the missile "an unwelcome and worrying development".
"Ominous Signal"
Researchers tell news agency AP that the test is "a pretty ominous signal" to the Western world and its allies around the Pacific.
China is saying that its patience is limited, that the country is prepared to use its most powerful weapons to deter opponents – or punish them if necessary, says Drew Thompson, a political scientist based in Singapore.
Among the conflicts that this concerns are China's claims to the independent Taiwan, as well as border disputes over islands in the surrounding seas with, among others, Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
The missile is believed to have been of the Dongfeng-31 AG type, which was presented in 2017.
