US 'concerned' over reports of China's hypersonic missile test; Beijing denies testing

The United States on Monday, 18 October said that it is “very concerned” about China’s development of hypersonic technology. As per The Guardian report, the US disarmament ambassador, Robert Wood told the reporters in Geneva, “We are very concerned by what China has been doing on the hypersonic front,” after reports stated the Beijing had launched a hypersonic missile with nuclear capacity. It is pertinent to mention that the White House's remark come amid Beijing and Washington's attempt to normalise their ties in recent weeks with a series of meetings.

The Financial Times (FT) had reported on Saturday, 16 October that China launched a nuclear-capable missile in August that travelled across the Earth at low orbit before narrowly missing its target. Citing multiple sources, FT claimed that the hypersonic missile was carried by a Long March rocket. It also added that Beijing’s test of the missile circling the Earth was kept a secret. In the wake of the media report, Wood told the reporters, “We just don’t know how we can defend against that type of technology. Neither does China or Russia.”

China dismisses FT report on the launch

However, China has dismissed the FT report and called it inaccurate. Beijing, as per the report, has also stated that the exercise was a test of reusable technology that could further reduce the cost of launching the spacecraft. Responding to the report, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told the reporters at a regular press briefing, “According to my understanding, this test is a routine spacecraft test, used to test a reusable spacecraft technology...This could provide a convenient and cheap way for humans to use space for peaceful purposes.”

Notably, the timing of the report stating China’s hypersonic missile test coincides with severely deteriorating relations with the United States. Some of the political commentators have reportedly said that the recent developments were indicating a similar turn of events like the ones during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the west in the 20th century. One US official told FT, “We have no idea how they did this” and the report claimed that China’s progress in the field had “caught US intelligence by surprise.”

Guardian has stated that China, US, Russia and at least five other nations are presently working in hypersonic technology. Hypersonic missiles can fly at over five times the speed of sound. Similar to ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles can deliver a nuclear warhead while flying on a trajectory low in the atmosphere. Hence, the missile has the potential to hit the target more rapidly as compared to the intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

(IMAGE: AP)