China launches intercontinental ballistic missile into Pacific hours after Biden’s UN address
Fox News
China fired a missile into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday following a speech on the international stage by President Biden, in which he called for security in the region.
The Ministry of Defense of the People’s Republic of China announced that its military had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday morning.
The missile, which carried a dummy warhead and was not targeting any nation, fell into the ocean without incident. The People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force claims that the launch was part of its routine military training calendar.
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Just hours prior, Biden made his final address to the United Nations in New York City, running through a series of security concerns for the international body.
Biden specifically noted the threat posed against Western interests by China and urged efforts for peace.
“We also need to uphold our principles as we seek to responsibly manage the competition with China so it does not veer into conflict,” he said. “We stand ready to cooperate on urgent challenges for the good of our people and the people everywhere.”
“We recently resumed cooperation with China to stop the flow of deadly synthetic narcotics,” Biden continued. “I appreciate the collaboration. It matters for the people in my country and many others around the world.”
Biden specifically referenced the need to combat the forces of “military coercion” being applied to Taiwan and others in the region.
“On matters of conviction, the United States is unabashed, pushing back against unfair economic competition and against military coercion of other nations in the South China Sea, in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, in protecting our most advanced technologies so they cannot be used against us or any of our partners,” the president said.
A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that they were given some notice before the launch.
“We monitored the PRC ICBM test launch that occurred earlier today,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The PRC did give some advance notification of the ICBM test. This is a step in the right direction to reducing the risks of misperception and miscalculation.”
“It also is a step toward facilitating a more regularized bilateral notification arrangement for ballistic missile and space launches—which the USG has previously proposed to the PRC—and represents a common sense confidence-building measure,” they added.