Washington criticised China on Wednesday for providing only a few hours’ notice ahead of its launch of a submarine-fired ballistic missile into the Pacific, saying Beijing’s actions fell short of standards followed by other major nuclear powers.
The US State Department said China failed to provide sufficient information ahead of Sunday’s test, which it said took place amid Beijing’s “rapid and opaque nuclear weapons build-up”.
“We monitored China’s submarine-launched ballistic missile test on July 6, which landed in the southern Pacific Ocean,” a State Department spokesperson told the South China Morning Post.
“The test occurred amid China’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons build-up and is of great concern to the region.”
The spokesperson said Beijing’s notification to Washington came only hours before the launch and lacked key details expected among established nuclear powers.
“China’s notification to the United States came only a few hours before the launch and failed to provide sufficient detail, falling considerably short of standards adopted by all other P5 nuclear weapon states,” the spokesperson said.
The Chinese embassy in Washington rejected US criticism of the launch, describing the test as a routine military exercise conducted in accordance with international law and practice.
“China notified relevant countries in advance of the test launch of a nuclear submarine-based strategic missile, a move that demonstrates the openness and transparency of the Chinese armed forces,” an embassy spokesperson told the South China Morning Post.
The spokesperson said China pursued a defensive national defence policy and maintained its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security.
“China stays committed to a nuclear strategy of self-defence, keeps its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security, and does not engage in any nuclear arms race with any other country,” the spokesperson said.
The State Department also criticised Beijing for failing to participate in formal advance-notification arrangements for strategic missile launches.
“Launching nuclear-capable missiles without participating in a regularised mechanism for advanced notification is irresponsible. We urge Beijing to engage in meaningful discussions on strategic stability and arms control,” it said.
Chinese state media described the launch as part of routine military training and said it was not directed at any country or target.
State news agency Xinhua said the missile, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched shortly after noon local time and landed in a designated area of the Pacific Ocean.
China last publicly acknowledged a ballistic missile launch into the Pacific in 2024, when it fired an intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a dummy warhead into waters near French Polynesia, the first such test publicly disclosed by Beijing in more than four decades.
The launch marks another step in Beijing’s efforts to field a fully operational nuclear triad, giving it the ability to launch nuclear weapons from land, air and sea platforms.
It also came as the United States and its partners were conducting the biennial Rim of the Pacific, or Rimpac, naval exercises across the Pacific, placing China’s latest demonstration of its strategic forces alongside the region’s largest show of allied maritime power. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
