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by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Ahead of an expected call between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden, China test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, the Associated Press reports.
The notably rare move took place amid rising regional tensions over Taiwanese sovereignty and security tensions with US allies Japan and the Philippines
The ICBM was launched by China’s People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force and carried a dummy warhead, AP reports. It was not directed at any particular country and landed in a designated area in the sea, China’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“China choosing the Pacific Ocean as the location for test-firing its missile comes across as both a display of its increased nuclear capabilities and as a warning to the United States and its allies in the region, experts say,” AP noted in its report.
In a statement to AP, former US defense official Drew Thompson noted that China’s launch coincided with the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. “[The launch] “is a pretty blunt signal,” Thompson said.
“China is signaling that its forbearance has limits, that it is prepared to use its most powerful weapons to deter adversaries or punish them if needed if deterrence fails.”
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