China reportedly test-launches its new SLBM

Amid the ever-escalating trade conflict between the U.S. and China, this month has seen China’s two launch tests of SLBMs around Bohai Bay near the Yellow Sea. A series of test launches is thought of as armed protests against Washington, which Beijing thinks tries to intervene in critical issues of Taiwan and South China Sea, according to analysts.

China’s state-run English newspaper Global Times and other Chinese media outlets reported on Sunday that the Chinese Forces carried out military drills on Saturday and Sunday in the Bohai area. The Liaoning maritime authorities limited navigation around Bohai Bay between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday; and 2:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. Sunday. Separately, the Chinese maritime authorities announced to impose limitations on the waters of the South China Sea and perform military exercises on Sunday and Tuesday.

U.S. online defense media outlet Defense Blog speculated that China test-launched its new SLBM named the Julang-3 on Sunday. The missile, the name of which means enormous waves in Chinese, is designed as an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) to be equipped with nuclear submarines. The home-grown weapon has an effective range of 12,000 to 14,000 kilometers, which threatens the U.S. mainland and the whole European continent. Chinese social media Weibo saw one after another video or photo of witnessing an unidentified object in the provinces of Shandong and Shanxi around 4 a.m. on Sunday.

Previously, China warned the United States at the Asian Security Conference held in Singapore between Friday and Sunday not to engage in China’s issues.


wizi@donga.com