The United States criticized China for providing insufficient warning about an intercontinental ballistic missile test in the Pacific Ocean, which took place on July 6. This was stated by U.S. State Department representative Victoria Nibarger at a disarmament conference in Geneva, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
Details
According to her, China did not notify all countries that could potentially have been affected by the launch. The countries Beijing warned received the information no more than two hours before the test.
Instead of ensuring transparency and providing sufficient warning, Beijing chose a confusing and provocative approach
China denied the U.S. accusations
The Chinese side said the test was conducted safely and responsibly, and that the necessary warnings had been provided in advance.
China notified the United States and other countries in advance and took prudent and reasonable measures to ensure that the test launch would not harm the interests of any country, fully demonstrating China's goodwill and responsible approach
The United States was among 41 countries that signed a joint statement calling for advance notification of ballistic missile test launches. The document stated that recent missile tests in the Pacific region did not comply with the practice followed by most countries.
Washington is also calling on Beijing to increase transparency regarding the development of its nuclear arsenal and establish additional mechanisms for interaction between the two nuclear powers. According to Bloomberg, China may have increased missile production last year at the fastest pace since Xi Jinping came to power in 2013.