China's Successful ICBM Test Raises Concerns Among Regional Powers!

China recently conducted a successful test of a long-range Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) over the South Pacific. On September 25, the Ministry of Defense said the launch was part of a routine military exercise. Analysts believe the missile tested likely belonged to the Dongfeng-31 (DF-31) series, with an estimated range of about 13,200 kilometers. French officials reported that the missile landed in the waters of French-controlled Polynesia, near the Marquesas Islands. Experts think the timing of the test, which aligned with the United Nations General Assembly session in New York, showed Beijing’s intent to highlight its strategic capabilities amid growing competition with the United States. China’s ICBM development program started in the 1960s. Its first long-range missile, the DF-4, with a range of 7,000 km, was actually an Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM). The country's first true ICBM was the liquid-fueled DF-5, successfully tested in 1980 with an estimat...