China Tests Missile in Pacific Ocean, US Says 'Deeply Concerning'

The United States government has expressed concern over Beijing’s nuclear programme after China conducted a missile test from a nuclear-powered submarine, the latest step in its rapid military modernisation. The test in the Pacific Ocean on Monday occurred two years after China fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into waters near French Polynesia, the first such launch over international waters in more than 40 years. Analysts say the test demonstrates China’s growing capability to strike the US mainland, which views the Asian power as its primary adversary despite reconciliation efforts under President Donald Trump. “At a time when the United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation, China is doing the opposite,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. “Beijing’s rapid and non-transparent nuclear build-up is deeply concerning for the region and the world,” he said in a statement. The United States earlier in February allowed the New START treaty, the last nuclear arms control pact with Russia, to expire, insisting on a new agreement that also includes China. That effort has been rejected by China, whose nuclear arsenal is far smaller than Russia’s but has been growing rapidly. The State Department urged China to “engage in meaningful arms control discussions and commit to regular notification arrangements for all long-range ballistic missile and space launches.” Chinese navy spokesman Wang Xuemeng said in a statement shared on WeChat that the test launch was a “routine arrangement of China’s annual military training” and that “relevant countries were notified in advance.”