China conducted a “mid-course” test of “ground-based missile defense technology” that “served its expected purpose,” the Defense Ministry said in Beijing, describing it as defensive and not aimed at any country.
Beijing has tested interceptor missiles before; The last public announcement of a test was in February 2021 and before that in 2018. State media said China had been conducting tests of anti-missile systems since at least 2010.
China has stepped up research on all types of missiles, from those capable of destroying satellites in space to advanced nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, as part of a modernization overseen by President Xi Jinping.
China, along with its ally Russia, has repeatedly spoken out against the US deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in South Korea.
China argued that the equipment’s powerful radar could penetrate its territory. China and Russia have also conducted simulated missile defense exercises.
Apart from the occasional brief statement by the Defense Ministry or in state media, China has revealed few details about its own missile programs.
In 2016, the Defense Ministry confirmed that it was moving forward with tests of the missile defense system after images appeared on state television.
Beijing says such technology is needed for national defense and security.
With Reuters