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Beijing holds successful missile defense test
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A military vehicle carries DF-21D missile past a display screen featuring an image of the Great Wall of China at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015, after a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II. (Agence France -Presse/Greg Baker)
C
hina said Tuesday it successfully conducted a test of a ground-based missile defense system amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula.
Concern over a potential conflict with nuclear-armed North Korea is growing following a series of bellicose statements between Washington and Pyongyang.
Monday's test of the mid-range missile system "achieved its anticipated goal" according to a brief statement by the Chinese defence ministry.
"This test was defencive. It does not target any country," it added.
The US has deployed a missile defense system, known as THAAD, in South Korea to guard against threats from North Korea, despite objections from Beijing, which considers the installation a threat to its own security.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have been pushing a diplomatic strategy to convince North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to come to the table and negotiate away his nuclear weapons.
But other senior figures in the Trump Administration have reportedly endorsed the idea of a "bloody nose" strike to damage Kim's nuclear sector and show the US means business, hopefully without provoking a wider war.
Trump's pick for ambassador to South Korea, Victor Cha, was dropped after refusing to endorse the idea, according to a recent article in the Washington Post.
During last week's State of the Union address, Trump warned that Pyongyang's weapons program "could very soon threaten our homeland."
