Chinese Defense Ministry claims success in anti-ballistic missile test

China successfully carried out an anti-ballistic missile test on Sunday night, according to the country’s Defense Ministry.

It was a land-based medium-range missile tested within China’s borders, the ministry said in a brief statement, adding that the test was defensive in nature and did not target any country.

Anti-ballistic missile systems are intended to protect a country from potential attacks by using projectiles to intercept rockets, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

This marks China’s sixth known test of a land-based anti-ballistic missile, according to the state-run Global Times. The country has been carrying out these trainings since 2010, typically taking them every few years. Before Sunday, the last one took place in February 2021, according to state media.

The activity comes amid rising tensions in the region, with a recent wave of North Korean missile tests, including short-range ballistic missiles and an alleged ICBM. South Korean and US officials have also warned that the country may soon carry out a nuclear test – the first since 2017.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office in May, has vowed to take a tougher stance on North Korea — and has suggested he could install a second anti-ballistic missile system.

In 2016, when South Korea announced it would deploy a US-built air defense system, it sparked a diplomatic row with China, which argued that the scheme would jeopardize its own national security.

The proposed system is designed to shoot down short and medium ballistic missiles and is used by the US military to protect units in places like Guam and Hawaii.

In early May, China criticized the US for deploying medium-range ballistic missiles in the Pacific region, saying it had a “gravely negative impact” on international arms control.