China test-fires new submarine-launched missile
China test-fired a new long-range, submarine-launched ballistic missile Thursday, Japanese government sources said Friday.
The new missile is believed to be the Ju Lang-2, a modified version of the intercontinental ballistic missile Dong Feng-31 that has a range of about 8,000 kilometers.
The new SLBM was believed to be fired from a nuclear submarine in waters off Qingdao and touched down in a desert in China several thousand kilometers away.
It has been confirmed that China test-fired an SLBM in 2001.
China is believed to possess about 30 ICBMs and has been conducting research on multiple-warhead missiles to counter the U.S. missile defense system.
China also has been more active recently in its naval operations. In November, a Han-class nuclear submarine cruised around Guam and entered Japan's territorial waters. If China develops SLBMs further, the entire mainland of the United States would come within range of the missiles.
Observers said the latest test-firing apparently was aimed at warning Washington not to interfere in the event of military conflict between China and Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait.
The United States believes China is ready to deploy the Dong Feng-31 and has estimated that Beijing will have 100 warheads targeting the United States by 2015.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld expressed strong concern over China's development of ICBMs in a speech in Singapore on June 4, saying China appeared to be improving its missiles targeting the Asia-Pacific region and also was expanding its missile capability to reach any target in the world.