China says it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, blasting it into the Pacific Ocean in a rare display of military strength.
Beijing has accelerated its nuclear development in recent years, with the Pentagon warning last October that China was expanding its arsenal faster than expected.
China had more than 500 active nuclear warheads in May 2023 and is expected to have more than 1,000 by 2030, according to the report.
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,” according to a defense ministry statement.
According to an analyst, such experiments are normally conducted in China’s own airspace.
“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.
Third-largest stockpile
In November, the United States and China held rare nuclear arms control discussions in an effort to reduce tensions ahead of a summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.
However, in July, Beijing announced that it had terminated nuclear nonproliferation and arms control talks with the United States in retaliation to Washington’s military shipments to Taiwan.
According to an annual assessment from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China has the world’s third-largest nuclear weapon stockpile, trailing only Russia and the United States.
This year, Beijing said that it would increase its defense expenditure, the world’s second-largest, by 7.2%.
The boost comes as China increasingly clashes with the United States and its regional partners, spanning the South China Sea to Taiwan.
This month, senior military officials from China and the United States met for “in-depth” talks in an effort to prevent wider tensions from erupting into violence.
Since its first nuclear test in 1964, China has been willing to keep a relatively small arsenal and has stated that it will never be the first to use nuclear weapons in a fight.
Under President Xi, it has launched a significant military modernization program in recent years, including the upgrade of its nuclear weapons to not just deter rivals but also to counterattack.
However, Beijing’s secretive Rocket Force, which conducted Wednesday’s test and oversees the country’s nuclear arsenal, has also been the target of an aggressive, broad anti-corruption effort.
In July, Beijing stated that Sun Jinming, the force’s former chief of staff, was being investigated for corruption.
Its leader, Li Yuchao, was ousted in July.
Li Shangfu was dismissed as defence minister last year after only seven months in office, following a long absence from public view.
Other discredited generals include Wei Fenghe, who previously led the Rocket Force and later served as China’s defense minister from 2018 to 2023.