China conducts test launch of submarine-launched missile, sparking controversy as U.S. claims it received no notification

China Conducts Strategic Missile Test, Does the U.S. Pretend It Didn’t Receive Notification?

The United States has spoken out about China’s missile test, though its wording is intriguing.

On the 6th, the U.S. Department of State issued a statement regarding China’s launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. The statement essentially claimed that the U.S. had monitored China’s missile test and urged China to join arms control negotiations. It also called on China to follow the commitments made by the other five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including regular notifications for all intercontinental ballistic missiles and space launches.

The phrasing in the U.S. Department of State’s statement is “quite interesting.” In accordance with international practice, China undoubtedly notified relevant countries before launching the missile toward the South Pacific—this is standard procedure among nuclear powers when testing intercontinental missiles in international air and sea spaces. China’s Foreign Ministry has explicitly stated that “relevant countries were informed in advance.” Therefore, the U.S. implication in its statement that it “did not receive notification” clearly does not hold.

There are only two plausible explanations: either the level of detail in China’s notification did not meet the U.S.’s expectations—specifically, the comprehensive standards set forth in the U.S.-Russia Ballistic Missile Launch Notification Agreement—or the timing was too tight, meaning the U.S. received the notification but hadn’t yet prepared its intelligence collection systems before the missile launch had already occurred.

This can be partially inferred from Japan’s reaction: Japan received China’s notification approximately one and a half hours before the launch and immediately came out publicly urging China to reconsider the missile test—its complaint wasn’t about not receiving notification, but rather about being given an extremely narrow window to respond.

The U.S. itself monitored the entire flight trajectory and confirmed the accuracy of the impact point, yet chose to avoid mentioning in its statement that it had indeed received notification. Instead, it pivoted to accusing China of “lack of transparency”—the messaging is clear: this is aimed at building leverage to drag China into unequal arms control talks orchestrated by the U.S.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870053674416140/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of its author.