China confirms first test of hypersonic missile carrier

China said it has conducted its first test flight of a hypersonic missile delivery vehicle, in a move likely to heighten regional unease despite Chinese assurance that it is not targeted at any country.

The Defence Ministry, responding to queries about the Chinese test reported by foreign media, said yesterday it is normal for China to carry out and plan such tests within its borders. It added that "these tests are not targeted at any country or specific targets".

The hypersonic glide vehicle, dubbed "Wu-14" by the United States, was detected flying at 10 times the speed of sound last week, online newspaper Washington Free Beacon said on Monday.

Hypersonic weapon technology is highly sought after. Missiles travelling at ultra-high speeds make it difficult for existing defence systems to intercept and also give targets less time to react.

The news report prompted the chairman and two members of the US House Armed Services Committee to express their concern.

"The Chinese and other competitor nations push towards military parity with the US; in some cases, as in this one, they appear to be leaping ahead of us," committee chairman Howard McKeon said in a statement.

The test flight would put China ahead in a hypersonic arms race with the US and Russia. All three countries have now tested such weapons.

Beijing's "major advancement" will have an impact on regional stability, the Defence News' Asia bureau chief Wendell Minnick told The Straits Times.

"It's not a good thing for the region because it's a behaviour that makes people nervous," he said.

Coming barely two months after Beijing declared a contentious air defence identification zone over the East China Sea, it shows a more assertive and confident China wanting to rewrite the rules of engagement, he added.

Analyst Li Mingjiang of Nanyang Technological University saw the timing of the test as a signal, saying: "There is some intention to show Japan in particular that China has got the military capability to achieve its objectives in the East China Sea with regard to the Diaoyu/Senkaku island dispute."

Mr McKeon, noting that the Asia-Pacific region is fast becoming "a powder keg", added: "Allowing nations that do not share our respect for free and open avenues of commerce to gain a strategic advantage over the United States and her allies only brings us closer to lighting the fuse."

Shanghai-based security analyst Ni Lexiong defended the test, saying while "it would be seen as a threat to those who infringe on China's interests", it was within China's right to defend itself.

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