China has successfully tested fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, September 25, in a move likely to raise international concerns about the country's nuclear build-up.
The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force at 08:44 a.m. Beijing time (0044 GMT) on Wednesday and "fell into expected sea areas," the Chinese defence ministry said in a statement, adding it was a "routine arrangement in our annual training plan" and not directed at any country or target, reported Reuters.
PLA Rocket Force Launched Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
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.