The Chinese Defense Ministry has completed a test launch of a land-based, mid-course missile interception.

China’s official state-run news agency Xinhua cited the ministry as saying that the test was held ‘within its territory and achieved the desired test objective’ on 4 February.

The ministry also confirmed that the missile intercept test was ‘defensive in nature’ and not intended to target any country.

This was the fourth land-based, mid-course anti-ballistic missile (ABM) technical test that has been publicly announced by China.

The previous four tests were completed in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2018.

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The ministry did not disclose any technical details about the test.

According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the authorities issued a ‘no-fly warning’ near the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China prior to testing.

An anonymous Chinese military source was quoted by SCMP as saying: “This is a technology that China has been developing for a long while.”

The test occurred just a day after US President Joe Biden’s administration approved the extension of a key nuclear arms control deal with Russia.

Currently, China and India are at a military stand-off in the Himalayas.

Last month, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed that eight Chinese bombers and four fighter jets entered the country’s south-western air defence identification zone (ADIZ).