Anti-ballistic missile systems are intended to protect a country from possible attacks using missiles to intercept incoming missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Some analysts liken shooting one sphere to another. This is China’s sixth known test of a land-based anti-ballistic missile, according to the state-run tabloid Global Times. The country has been conducting such tests since 2010, usually every few years. Ahead of Sunday, China last tested an anti-ballistic missile in February 2021, according to state media. “China plans to build a multi-component, multi-component missile defense system,” said Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. These efforts are aimed at dealing with short-, medium- and long-range missiles. So far, China has developed the HQ9 and HQ19 missile defense systems for the first two and has not yet publicly announced the development of a system that can intercept long-range ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles, Zhao said. It is not clear which system was tested on Sunday, as Chinese officials did not release further details. But based on the size of the closed airspace, it could be the HQ19 medium-range, similar to the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, or a different new medium-range system, Zhao said. It’s similar to the “hit-to-kill” missiles used by the United States, he added, referring to technology that allows the interceptor to strike and completely destroy incoming threats. The test comes amid rising tensions in the region, with a recent wave of missile tests from North Korea, including short-range ballistic missiles and a supposed ICBM. South Korean and US officials have also warned that renewed activity in North Korea’s nuclear test site suggests the country could conduct a nuclear test any day – the first since 2017. South Korean President Yoon Sook Yol, who took office in May, has vowed to take a tougher line on North Korea – and has suggested he seeks to deploy a second anti-ballistic missile system. In 2016, when South Korea announced it would develop the US THAAD system, it launched a one-year diplomatic standoff with China, arguing that the missile defense system would jeopardize its national security. THAAD is designed to shoot down short-, medium- and medium-range ballistic missiles and is used by the US military to protect units in places such as Guam and Hawaii. Despite its criticism of South Korea’s use of THAAD, China has good reason to develop its own missile shield program, Zao said. “China can not afford to lag behind in this important area of military technology competition,” he said. “China is looking at other major powers. The United States is the main concern, but Russia is also developing more and more capable missile defense technologies.” And while North Korea’s missile test has alarmed South Korea and Western observers, Beijing’s friendly relationship with the North means it is likely to be more concerned about other threats – such as India, with which it shares long-standing border tensions. and the USA. which has developed militarily within the region near China. Earlier in May, China criticized the United States for developing medium-range ballistic missiles in the Asia-Pacific region, saying it had a “serious negative impact” on international arms control.
