China's military tested a JL-3 submarine-launched missile over the Pacific in July, the first confirmed such launch in more than 40 years, the South China Morning Post reports, after state TV aired a rare documentary on silo construction.
China is expanding its nuclear forces, including new missile silos, while saying little in public about the programme. Its arsenal and intentions are watched closely abroad, and Beijing's long-standing reticence has left outside assessments to rely largely on satellite imagery and foreign intelligence estimates.
The People's Liberation Army carried out a missile test in the Pacific in July, China's first confirmed submarine-launched ballistic missile launch in more than 40 years, the South China Morning Post reported. A dummy warhead travelled 8,000km (5,000 miles).
Chinese state television aired a documentary on the construction programme, a rare official acknowledgement that China has built more nuclear missile silos in recent years, the South China Morning Post reported. The broadcast presented the silos as part of the country's strategic deterrence.