<p>“China conducted a test on ground-based midcourse missile interception technology within its territory. The test has achieved the expected objective,” the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday’s test-launch.<br /><br />“The test is defensive in nature and is not targeted at any country,” it said in a brief statement. The announcement comes after a week of diplomatic tensions over a US decision to sell advanced Patriot anti-missile systems to Taiwan, which Beijing considers as part of its territory, and has vowed to take the island back, by force if necessary.<br /><br />Commenting on the missile interception test, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said it was conducted in accordance with China’s “defensive military strategy.”<br /><br />“The test was defensive in nature and targeted at no country,” she said. So far, the elite club of the US and Russia only had the missile interception technologies.<br /><br />Jiang said China had always taken the road of peaceful development and its strengthening of national defence was for the maintenance of national sovereignty and security.<br />The test would neither produce space debris in orbit nor pose a threat to the safety of orbiting spacecraft, Jiang said. <br /><br />Breakthrough<br /><br />Meanwhile, military experts, quoted by the state-run “Global Times” newspaper, claimed the test was a breakthrough in the air defence capabilities of China’s military.<br /><br />Yang Chengjun, a senior military strategist of missile studies, said that the test ushered China into a new phase in terms of missile interception technologies. “China needs an improved capability and more means of military defence as the country faces increasing security threats,” Yang said, adding that it is China’s legitimate right to carry out such tests.<br /><br /></p>
<p>“China conducted a test on ground-based midcourse missile interception technology within its territory. The test has achieved the expected objective,” the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday’s test-launch.<br /><br />“The test is defensive in nature and is not targeted at any country,” it said in a brief statement. The announcement comes after a week of diplomatic tensions over a US decision to sell advanced Patriot anti-missile systems to Taiwan, which Beijing considers as part of its territory, and has vowed to take the island back, by force if necessary.<br /><br />Commenting on the missile interception test, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said it was conducted in accordance with China’s “defensive military strategy.”<br /><br />“The test was defensive in nature and targeted at no country,” she said. So far, the elite club of the US and Russia only had the missile interception technologies.<br /><br />Jiang said China had always taken the road of peaceful development and its strengthening of national defence was for the maintenance of national sovereignty and security.<br />The test would neither produce space debris in orbit nor pose a threat to the safety of orbiting spacecraft, Jiang said. <br /><br />Breakthrough<br /><br />Meanwhile, military experts, quoted by the state-run “Global Times” newspaper, claimed the test was a breakthrough in the air defence capabilities of China’s military.<br /><br />Yang Chengjun, a senior military strategist of missile studies, said that the test ushered China into a new phase in terms of missile interception technologies. “China needs an improved capability and more means of military defence as the country faces increasing security threats,” Yang said, adding that it is China’s legitimate right to carry out such tests.<br /><br /></p>