BEIJING (Reuters) – China tested a space vehicle in July, not a hypersonic missile with nuclear capabilities as reported by the Financial Times, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Citing five people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times said Saturday that China had tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile that flew into space, walking around the globe before falling towards its target and missing. The newspaper said the fact “took US intelligence by surprise.”
“It wasn’t a missile, it was a space vehicle,” ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said of the report, adding that it was a “routine test” for the purpose of testing technology to reuse the vehicle.
The importance of a reuse test is that it can “provide an inexpensive and convenient method for humans to travel peacefully to and from space,” Zhao said, adding that many companies have performed similar tests.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the test took place in July, not August, as reported by the Financial Times.
The US is closely following China’s military modernization program to assess the possible risks posed by an increasingly assertive competitor.
(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian)
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