Beijing threw down the gauntlet to Washington yesterday, announcing it had successfully tested an advanced missile-interception system - a week after the US decided to sell arms to Taiwan despite strong protests.
Xinhua announced the news last night in a terse, one-sentence statement saying: 'On January 11, 2010, China conducted a test on ground-based mid-course missile-interception technology within its territory.'
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately issued a statement saying the test was 'defensive in nature and not targeted at any country'.
However, military analysts said it was a strong response to the US decision to sell Patriot air defence missiles to Taiwan.
'This is certainly related to Taiwan,' said a Shanghai-based military analyst who declined to be named. 'China understands verbal protests are not enough. The test is going to touch a raw nerve with people at the Pentagon. This is the Chinese military telling the US: watch out, we are getting there.'
What Beijing tested yesterday was a complex anti-missile system that consists of a ground-based missile interceptor capable of shooting down an incoming ballistic missile in space and a radar network that could precisely track and monitor fast-moving, incoming warheads.