China's advance notification of submarine missile launch test shows openness, transparency: spokesperson

BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) -- China notified relevant countries in advance of the test launch of a nuclear submarine-based strategic missile, a move that demonstrates the openness and transparency of the Chinese armed forces, a defense spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Chen Xi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a relevant media query.

He noted that the test launch, which achieved the expected results, was a routine arrangement of annual military training and complied with international law and international practice.

China adheres to the path of peaceful development and pursues a defensive national defense policy, he said, stressing that China stays committed to a nuclear strategy of self-defense, keeps its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security, and does not engage in any nuclear arms race with any other country.

China's efforts to modernize its nuclear forces are aimed at safeguarding national strategic security and maintaining global strategic stability, he added.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy said on Monday that one strategic nuclear submarine of the navy successfully launched a strategic missile carrying a dummy warhead toward relevant high seas of the Pacific Ocean at 12:01 p.m., which landed precisely within the designated waters.