Beijing, July 6 (EFE).- China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy on Monday successfully launched a strategic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into Pacific waters, a test announced amid rising tensions with Japan and a strengthening Chinese presence in waters near Taiwan.
The projectile, which carried a simulated training warhead, struck its designated maritime target with precision, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Xinhua said the test, conducted at 12:01 p.m. local time (0401 GMT), was part of China’s annual military training plan, which Beijing had previously notified to relevant countries and which “is not directed at any country or specific target.”
The agency added that the launch was carried out by a strategic nuclear submarine of the Chinese navy toward “relevant international waters” of the Pacific, without specifying the missile model, the submarine class or the exact impact zone.
According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, this was the first known test of a submarine-launched missile by China since 1982 and the first known launch conducted from a nuclear-powered submarine.
