Beijing has test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with the Chinese military calling it part of routine annual training, even though the launch apparently took place over the Pacific Ocean for the first time in over four decades.
According to Chinese officials, the ICBM, equipped with a dummy warhead, was launched from an undisclosed location at 8:44am Wednesday and splashed down in a designated area in international waters. The launch was part of a “routine arrangement in our annual training plan,” said a statement from China’s Ministry of National Defense.
Analysts have suggested that the ICBM tested on Wednesday was likely a Dong Feng-41 with an operational range of up to 15,000 kilometers, or its predecessor, the Dong Feng-31.
China regularly tests short- and mid-range rockets within its territory and over waters in the western Pacific as part of its ballistic missile program, but a test that far into international waters is unusual. The last similar launch…