BEIJING: China said it test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, firing it into the Pacific Ocean in its first such exercise in decades.
The launch sparked protests from other countries in the region, with China's neighbour Japan saying it had not been given advance notice and expressing "serious concern" about Beijing's military build-up.
Beijing has stepped up its nuclear development and boosted defence spending in recent years, with the Pentagon last October warning China was developing its arsenal more quickly than the United States had anticipated.
China held more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May 2023 and is likely to have more than 1,000 by 2030, it said.
On Wednesday, the Chinese military's Rocket Force "launched an ICBM... carrying a dummy warhead to the high seas in the Pacific Ocean at 08:44 on September 25, and the missile fell into expected sea areas", the defence ministry said in a statement.
An analyst said such tests were very rare.
"This is extremely unusual and likely the first time in decades that we've seen a test like this," said Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"(The test) likely speaks to China's ongoing nuclear modernisation manifesting in new requirements for testing," he added.
China's defence ministry, however, called the firing a "routine arrangement in our annual training plan".
"It is in line with international law and international practice and is not directed against any country or target," it said.
Japan, however, said it was given "no notice from the Chinese side in advance", with a government spokesman adding that Beijing's military build-up was a "serious concern".
New Zealand also said the launch of the missile, which landed in the South Pacific, was "an unwelcome and concerning development".
A spokesman for Wellington's foreign minister vowed to consult with Pacific allies further as details become clear.
Beijing first test-fired an ICBM into the South Pacific in the 1980s. - AFP
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