China carried out a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile aimed at the Pacific Ocean in a rare occurrence on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Chinese Defense Ministry.

"[China's] Rocket Force launched an ICBM... carrying a dummy warhead to the high seas in the Pacific Ocean at 08:44 on September 25, and the missile fell into expected sea areas," the statement read.

According to an expert speaking to AFP, China has traditionally carried out such tests within its own airspace.

The Chinese Defense Ministry described the launch as a "routine arrangement in our annual training plan."

"It is in line with international law and international practice and is not directed against any country or target," it said.

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Last month, the US and Italian Navies, as well as the Royal Australian Air Force, carried out four days of drills in the South China Sea, as Washington escalates its regional militarization near China's borders.

Meanwhile, the US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said last month that the United States will deploy in the summer of 2025 units from across the country to the Pacific for a two-week large-scale exercise.

According to Defense One, the exercises are designed to assess the readiness of US forces for a potential conflict with China.

These drills will be incorporated into the joint Australian-US exercise, Talisman Sabre, the Air Force Chief noted.

Revised US nuclear strategy

In late April, The New York Times reported, citing unnamed Chinese military strategists, that the US has been actively constructing military bases near China to confine Chinese naval forces within the "first island chain," situated close to mainland Asia, in the event of a regional conflict.

In a separate report published earlier today, NYT reported that President Joe Biden has endorsed a revised nuclear strategy aimed at addressing what the US perceives as potential coordinated nuclear threats from Russia, China, and DPRK, knowing that the United States has the world's largest nuclear arsenal.

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Simultaneously, the White House claimed that the strategy, approved earlier this year, is not directed at any single nation or threat.

White House spokesperson Sean Savett stated that while the specific details of the guidance are classified, its existence is public knowledge.

The updated strategy reflects US concerns about what it perceives as China’s rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal, which is projected to rival US and Russian stockpiles within the next decade.

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