US accuses China of deviating from ‘minimal nuclear deterrence’ strategy
- Biden administration is ‘deeply concerned’ by Financial Times report that China has tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, State Department spokesman says
- Chinese foreign ministry calls the launch ‘a routine test of a space vehicle’ and says the launched object ‘was not a missile’
China is deviating from its minimal nuclear deterrence strategy, the US State Department charged on Monday, after a report that Beijing had recently tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile.
“We are deeply concerned about the rapid expansion of the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China’s] nuclear capabilities, including its development of novel delivery systems,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a briefing about a Financial Times report on Saturday that China had launched a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August.
Price declined to comment on what information the US government had concerning the test, but appeared to dismiss any attempts to play down its significance. He cited a US count of “at least” 250 ballistic missile launches by China in the nine months through September.
“These developments underscore that the PRC, as we said before, is deviating from its decades-long nuclear strategy based on minimum deterrence,” he said. “This is especially concerning … given the PRC’s lack of transparency into its evolving nuclear posture.