According to information from the Ministry of Defense on the 7th, Chen Xi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, answered reporters' questions regarding China's navy's test firing of submarine-launched strategic missiles.
Reporter: According to reports, a U.S. State Department spokesman recently said that China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile without a warhead via submarines. China’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons development has drawn great attention from the region and the world. NATO Secretary-General said that China cannot be taken lightly. Countries such as Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have also expressed their concerns. What is your comment on this?
Chen Xi: The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy's strategic nuclear submarine conducted a test launch of strategic missiles underwater, achieving the expected objectives. This is an annual military training routine, in accordance with international law and practice. China informed relevant countries in advance, demonstrating the openness and transparency of the Chinese military.
China adheres to a path of peaceful development, adopts a defensive national defense policy, and strictly follows a self-defense nuclear strategy. It always maintains its nuclear forces at the lowest level necessary for national security, and does not engage in any nuclear arms race with any other country. The modernization of our nuclear forces is aimed at ensuring national strategic security and maintaining global strategic stability.
According to Xinhua News Agency, at 12:01 on July 6, a strategic nuclear submarine of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army successfully launched a submerged strategic missile into the relevant open-sea areas of the Pacific Ocean. The missile carried a training dummy warhead and landed precisely in the designated area. This missile test was an routine part of China’s annual military training exercises. Information about this was notified to relevant countries in advance. The exercise complies with international law and practices, and did not target any specific country or objective.
The picture shows a missile being launched into the sky. Xinhua News Agency
On July 7, when Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning presided over a regular press conference, a AFP journalist asked: Many governments have criticized China’s missile testing activities, including those of countries in the South Pacific such as the Solomon Islands and New Zealand. They expressed their desire not to see missile tests in the neighboring South Pacific region. What is the spokesman's response to this?
Mao Ning stated that this test launch was part of the regular military training activities of the Chinese military, and did not target any specific country or objective. Prior notice was given to relevant nations, and it complies with international law and practice. I would like to emphasize that China adheres to a path of peaceful development and a self-defense nuclear strategy. There is no need for relevant nations to overinterpret this situation.
