Article Posted on : - Aug 31, 2012

An unrelated file photo.

BEIJING (PTI): Two days after state-TV announced the test of a new 14,000 km range missile, China's Defence Ministry on Thursday tacitly confirmed the development and said it had tested "different weapons" recently but they were not targeted at any specific countries.

"China's Defence Ministry confirmed that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had conducted missile tests within national territory," official media here reported on Thursday.

"We conducted some normal weapons tests within the territory recently," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China's Defence Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng as saying at a media briefing.

The PLA had conducted missile tests within national territory but they were not targeted at any one country, Geng said playing down reports that 14,000 km range DF-41 ICBM has been built to reach targets in various parts of the United States.

"These tests have no specific targets and were not targeted at any specific countries," Geng said.

The Defence Ministry meetings are mostly confined to the official media.

The state-run CCTV which two days ago said that the DF-41 missile was test fired last month said Geng has not elaborated about the tests of the "weapons".

According to the CCTV report the missile, which could carry 10 warheads with ability to evade missile defence systems, was tested last month by the PLA's Second Artillery Force.

Significantly, Thursday's Xinhua's report referred to media reports that "JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missiles had failed, and that China's development of ballistic missiles was at a comparatively slow pace".

While Geng said the missile were not directed at any country, the Xinhua report however, said "according to the reports, China's latest ballistic missiles have a range allowing them to hit any point of the United States and could penetrate its missile defence system".

Geng also took exception to the recent US-Japan military exercises in the East China Sea.

China is peeved over the drills which included taking over of an island, which the Chinese media says, was aimed at taking control of disputed islands Diaoyu islands referred by Japan as Senkaku islands.

Frequent military exercises in the region are not good for building trust and China is opposed to them, Geng said.

The island has been Chinese territory and the Chinese military has determination and credibility to safeguard its territory and national sovereignty, he said.