China test-fires intercontinental ballistic missile into Pacific Ocean as tensions with US mount

China test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, stirring security concerns in a region already tense over Beijing's territorial claims and rivalry with the US.

The missile carried a dummy warhead and fell into a designated area of the sea, the Defence Ministry said in a statement posted to social media.

The ministry insisted that the launch by the People's Liberation Army's Rocket Force was part of routine annual training, complied with international law and was not directed against any country or target.

A map published in Chinese newspapers at the time showed the target area as roughly a circle in the centre of a ring formed by the Solomon Islands, Nauru, the Gilbert Islands, Tuvalu, western Samoa, Fiji and the New Hebrides.

The US and non-governmental organisations have previously said China is building up its array of missile silos, but it's unclear how many missiles and nuclear warheads it has actually added to its arsenal.

The US remains China's main global rival, although Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and others have territorial disputes with Beijing that occasionally threaten to develop into military clashes.

Despite its desire to achieve regional military hegemony, China maintains a "no first use" nuclear weapons policy, and tests of China's intercontinental ballistic missiles in international waters are rare.

Experts and a historical survey of China's program by the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative suggest the last occurred in May 1980. That test saw China launch its DF-5 missile into the South Pacific.

According to James Acton, the co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, China typically