China pulled out the nuclear muscle this Wednesday after performing the first version made public over the decades of a long-range ballistic missilean unexpected move that triggered alarm among neighboring countries
Japan was one of the first governments to express its “serious concern“for a launch which – he said – “was not informed in advance”, although the projectile did not fly over Japanese territory before falling in the Pacific.
Tokyo has denounced that its neighbor is strengthening its nuclear capabilities “in a large and accelerated manner” without offering the necessary transparency in this regard.
For his part, New Zealand deemed ‘undesirable and disturbing’ the launch, which took place at 8:44 a.m. this Wednesday (00:44 GMT).
China, which has one of the world’s most secretive nuclear programs, has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into Pacific waters, carrying an explosive warhead and landing in the intended area. It is This is the first time in 44 years that China has made such a test public.
The launch coincides with recent tensions with Taiwan and in the South China Sea, a frequent scene of clashes between Chinese and Filipino ships, and could potentially lead to a conflict between China and the United Stateswho has an alliance with Japan, India and Australia (Quad), aimed at strengthening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Taiwan noted that its armed forces are “following closely” Chinese military movements after the launch and said it had observed “an increase in missile exercises and launches” by Chinese forces in recent days.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense did not use nuclear terminology in the official note and limited itself to stating that it is a “routine action in the annual training plan and that it has been notified in advance to the countries concerned.”
With the launch, the first of its kind to be made public in more than four decades, the PLA sought to “test the performance of its weapons and the effectiveness of its military training,” two goals that were achieved, the ministry added.
The statement It does not specify the route taken by the missile, nor its exact location in the Pacific. into which he fell.
An opaque nuclear program
Experts believe that today’s launch is aimed at assessing the reliability of the country’s intercontinental ballistic missiles: “They launched the missile towards a specific area to verify that it can complete the said trajectory and that its army has mature and reliable technology.”
“The missile tested could be a DF-31 or a DF-41 which flies up to 15,000 kilometers, enough to reach American soil. China would seek to deter other countries from using nuclear coercion against China“, military analyst Song Zhongping was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post.
THE extreme opacity China’s nuclear program has drawn criticism from countries including the United States, which estimates the Asian giant has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads and could double that number by 2030.
In this sense, a newspaper article The New York Times recently revealed that the American president, Joe Biden has approved a strategic plan in response to the expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal.
For their part, Chinese spokesmen insist that it is the United States that has continued to expand its nuclear arsenal. “irresponsible” way and under the pretext of a “Chinese nuclear threat non-existent.”
Beijing assures that it is adopting a strategy of nuclear self-defense, maintaining its arsenal at the minimum level necessary to guarantee national security and within the framework of the policy of “not being the first to use nuclear weapons.”
China is not a party to any disarmament treaty.and has repeatedly refused to participate in dialogues such as those held by Russia and the United States on nuclear arms control, claiming that the quantity of its atomic weapons is far less than that of those countries.
However, Chinese officials have admitted that the country is developing medium-range missiles, but that they are located on its territory, while publicly expressing concern about “American expansion in China’s neighborhood.”
