Amid growing tensions with India and the United States of America, the Chinese have test-fired a ballistic missile which is being tipped as 'carrier killer'. On Monday, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) announced that it had test-fired two ballistic missiles during recent drill, a short-range and an intermediate-range missile.
"We are in a highly alert state for combat, to ensure our actions are prompt and precise,” Liu Yang, the commander of the brigade that carried out the tests, was quoted as saying in a story on PLA news site 81.cn
The IRBM launched by the Chinese Army has a range of 2,500 miles and is being tipped as an 'aircraft carried killer', a potential threat to the USS Nimitz and other American Navy vessels in the region.
The drill was to test how quickly PLARF soldiers could respond to an incoming nuclear attack. In the video, uploaded to the PLA website, they are seen charging towards the mobile missile launchers. The report however did not confirm when the drill took place.
This comes after US Air Force's Global Strike Command test-fired the LGM-30 minuteman lll ICBM which has a range of 4,200 miles, just after midnight on August 4.
“The Minuteman III is 50 years old, and continued test launches are essential in ensuring its reliability until the 2030s when the Ground Base Strategic Deterrent is fully in place. Most importantly, this visible message of national security serves to assure our allies and dissuade potential aggressors,” 576th Flight Test Squadron commander Col. Omar Colbert said in the release.
China's relations with both US and India have been on a downward trend in the last few months. India has taken significant steps to counter Chinese involvement in the country by banning a number of Chinese apps.
US has meanwhile extended its support to India against the expansionist policy of China.
US Congressmen Eliot Engel and Michael McCaul wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar last night. "US-India relationship is all the more important as India faces aggression from China along your shared border, that is part of Chinese government's pattern of unlawful and belligerent territorial aggression across Indi-Pacific," the letter read.
"The United States will remain steadfast in support of India’s efforts to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We acknowledge ongoing serious security and counter terrorism concerns in region and look forward to work with your govt to address these while upholding our shared commitments to democratic values on which our nations’ bond was built," the Congressmen further added.
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