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After China reportedly tested a hypersonic missile, US disarmament ambassador Robert Wood said the Biden administration was “very concerned”.
China maintained it had tested a space vehicle and not a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile.
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“It was not a missile, it was a space vehicle,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said while adding that it was a “routine test”.
China’ foreign ministry said the test was conducted in July and not August as reports claimed.
“This test is a routine spacecraft test, and it was used to verify the reusable technology of spacecraft. This is of great significance for reducing the cost of spacecraft,” China’s foreign ministry claimed.
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Defence secretary Lloyd Austin added that the US was “closely watching China’s development of armament and advanced capabilities that will only increase tensions in the region”.
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China had unveiled the DF-17 hypersonic medium-range missile two years ago even as Russia had launched a hypersonic missile from a submarine amid heated race to ramp up nuclear missile capability.
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The United States had also tested an air-breathing hypersonic missile last month as North Korea declared it had developed a hypersonic missile.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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