China says successfully conducted test missile launch in Pacific Ocean

BEIJING: China’s navy said it successfully conducted a test missile launch in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, after regional nations warned, Beijing was planning to test an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“At 12:01 pm on July 6, a strategic nuclear submarine of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy successfully launched a… strategic missile carrying a training simulation warhead into the relevant high seas of the Pacific Ocean, accurately landing in the designated sea area,” spokesperson Wang Xuemeng said in a statement posted on a navy WeChat account.

Earlier, Papua New Guinea’s foreign minister and a New Zealand government source told AFP on Monday that China is preparing to test-fire a nuclear-capable missile into the Pacific Ocean,

“Yes, China has briefed me. I was personally called by the Chinese ambassador,” Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko told AFP when asked if he had been warned.

A New Zealand government source told AFP China had also alerted them of an upcoming intercontinental ballistic missile test.

Japan on China missile test launch

Japan said Monday it had strongly urged China to reconsider a missile launch test in the Pacific Ocean.

“We strongly called for a rethink of the ballistic missile test-firing, so that it won’t pose a threat to Japan’s security such as by passing through Japan’s airspace,” according to a joint statement government statement, that was put out prior to the launch.