For the First Time In Decades, China Test-Fires Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

China has yet again stirred tensions in the hotbed of disputes, the Indo-Pacific waters by flexing its muscles after it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on September 23.

The Chinese Defence Ministry said in a statement that the missile was carrying a dummied warhead which fell into a designated area of the sea. People’s Liberation Army launched the missile as a part of the annual training and confirmed that the ICBM was not directed against any country and was done in adherence to international law as China follows the ‘no first use’ policy. The firing of the missile came as a surprise as the last similar test was carried out in 1980.

The Chinese State media clarified that Beijing had “informed the countries concerned in advance”, however, the type of missile and its flight path remained uncleared. Xinhua reported, that the launch “effectively tested the performance of weapons and equipment and the training level of the troops, and achieved the expected goal.”

The unprecedented launch in the Indo-Pacific raises questions about how China conducts tests over such a distance and the number of missiles and warheads Beijing has been adding to its arsenal. Chinese nuclear weapon tests usually do not take place in international waters and happen domestically.

The Japanese Defence Ministry responding to the ICBM testing said, “We will continue to collect and analyse information on the movements of the Chinese military and will take all possible precautions in our vigilance and monitoring,” and added that no damage had been caused to its deployed vessels.

China’s increasing belligerence in the Indo-Pacific remains one of the friction points in its relationship with Washington, India and Southeast Asian countries. In a show of power play, the testing of the ICBM is more like a posture or signal to the United States. In retaliation for the U.S.’s arms sales to Taiwan, Beijing discounted its nuclear arms control talks with Washington earlier this year.

The unprecedented speed at which China’s nuclear buildup is growing goes beyond a credible minimum deterrence. 350 of the 500 operational nuclear warheads are ICBMs, according to a report published by the Pentagon last year. The already alarming number is expected to reach 1000 nuclear warheads by 2030.