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China Test-Fires Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Amid Rising Taiwan Tensions
China successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, heightening security concerns in a region already strained by Beijing’s territorial ambitions and its rivalry with the United States.
According to a statement from China’s Defence Ministry, the missile carried a dummy warhead and landed in a pre-designated area of the ocean. The launch was conducted by the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force as part of routine annual training, adhering to international law, and was not aimed at any specific country or target, the statement clarified.
Tests of China’s ICBMs into international waters are rare. Historical records from the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative suggest the last such test occurred in May 1980, when China launched its DF-5 missile into the South Pacific.
James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted that China typically conducts missile tests over its western desert regions. A launch into international waters is unusual and resembles the testing procedures used by the U.S. for its ballistic missile fleet.
The missile test coincided with the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York, where China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, seeks to expand its influence over key departments related to human rights and governance, aligning with its authoritarian values.
This launch comes in the context of internal unrest within China’s military establishment. Several senior officers from the Rocket Force were arrested earlier this year as part of a corruption crackdown, alongside the detentions of two former defence ministers facing misconduct allegations.
Experts speculate that the timing of this missile test serves a dual purpose: providing reassurance to the Chinese population amid economic downturns while sending a strong signal to the global community that the Chinese Communist Party remains firmly in control and committed to its rise to global prominence.
