US missile intercept ‘may spark arms race’: Chinese state media
Successful destruction of ballistic missile in test shifts balance of deterrence and may lead other nations to upgrade their military technology, says People’s Daily outlet
A state media outlet in China has expressed dismay over the United States test to intercept an intercontinental ballistic missile, saying it may trigger a new arms race.
The US military fired a test missile from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific towards the Alaskan coast and launched an interceptor missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Tuesday. The test ended in a head-on strike, it said.
The US Missile Defence Agency said the exercise was based on intelligence about North Korea and Iran’s future missile capability. The test came amid increasing concerns about Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.
A commentary published on the social media account of the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily late on Wednesday said the success of the US test had “opened a Pandora’s box”.
A change in the balance in nuclear deterrence would change the mindset of other nuclear powers, “which has increased, rather than decreased the risk of a nuclear war”, the commentary said.