China's People's Liberation Army successfully launched a long-range third-generation intercontinental ballistic missile on Sunday.
The JL-3 missile was launched in Bohai Bay near Shandong Peninsula on the northwest coast of the country, according to the US Defense Blog.
The JL-3 is a third generation intercontinental missile with a range of 10,000 to 14,000 km and is capable of carrying up to 10 independent warheads. The distance between the Asian giant and the United States is 11,721KM towards Europe, and 7400 km from the North Korean border.
This weapon is designed to be installed on Type 096 class nuclear submarines that will be put into service in the Chinese Navy by the end of the next decade.
The JL or Julang projectile – which translates from Chinese as the "big wave" – is part of the strategy of the People's Liberation Army of China, which aims to extend its nuclear deterrence capabilities.
Previously, the Liaoning Province Maritime Safety Administration had issued a warning that the Bohai Bay area was closed for navigation because of military training in the South China Sea.
According to the institution, the exercises would be held throughout Sunday and noon on Tuesday in an area close to Chinese possessions in the Paracelsus Islands.
On the other hand, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe has strongly criticized US activities in areas that China considers under its sovereignty, especially near the self-governing island of Taiwan, whose sovereignty claims Beijing and says such actions strengthen China's separatist agenda. island.
Wei insisted that the Asian country is willing to "fight to the end and at all costs" to protect its national interests. He warned that they will not give "an inch" of their "holy ground", and that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) serves "solely for self-defense purposes", so it will only attack if attacked.
Last May, US destroyers sailed twice in the area in question, which Beijing described as "provocative acts." China insists that warships from other countries ask permission and notify their authorities before transit through its territorial waters.
Text: Hispan
