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OpinionPanic over China’s missile test is born of Western bias
Every nuclear power routinely tests its arsenal. The outcry over Beijing’s launch reveals a glaring double standard
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On Monday, a Chinese submarine fired a long-range ballistic missile into international waters in the South Pacific. The nuclear-capable missile, which was launched from underwater and carried an inert dummy warhead, is believed to have splashed down near Tuvalu.
The Chinese government said the event “was a routine part of China’s annual military training programme” and was “not directed against any specific country or target”. It added that other countries had been notified, and urged them not to “over-interpret it”.
Reactions from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and elsewhere were immediate and pointed, with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong calling the test “destabilising”.
Commentators were quick to link the test to a new defence pact between Australia and Fiji, signed earlier that day. On this view, the test was intended as an intimidating reminder that Beijing’s missiles can reach throughout the Pacific.
Routine testing?
Every nuclear power that operates strategic ballistic missiles, be they submarine-launched or land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, periodically test-fires unarmed missiles to confirm the weapons still work, retain their range, and can hit their targets accurately. In the past few years, similar tests have been carried out by the United States, Britain, Russia, France and India.
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