The Chinese Defense Ministry has completed a test launch of a land-based, mid-course missile interception.
China’s official state-run news agency Xinhua cited the ministry as saying that the test was held ‘within its territory and achieved the desired test objective’ on 4 February.
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The ministry also confirmed that the missile intercept test was ‘defensive in nature’ and not intended to target any country.
This was the fourth land-based, mid-course anti-ballistic missile (ABM) technical test that has been publicly announced by China.
The previous four tests were completed in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2018.
The ministry did not disclose any technical details about the test.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the authorities issued a ‘no-fly warning’ near the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China prior to testing.
An anonymous Chinese military source was quoted by SCMP as saying: “This is a technology that China has been developing for a long while.”
The test occurred just a day after US President Joe Biden’s administration approved the extension of a key nuclear arms control deal with Russia.
Currently, China and India are at a military stand-off in the Himalayas.
Last month, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed that eight Chinese bombers and four fighter jets entered the country’s south-western air defence identification zone (ADIZ).
