China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted a successful anti-missile intercept test Jan. 11 using a surface-to-air missile, according to a report by China’s semi-official news agency Xinhua.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told journalists Jan. 12 the test was conducted within China’s territory and did not leave space debris or otherwise pose a threat to orbiting spacecraft.
Xinhua reported that the weapon tested was a Chinese-made surface-to-air defense missile. “If the ballistic missile is regarded as a spear, now we have succeeded in building a shield for self-defense,” professor Tan Kaijia of the PLA’s National Defense University told Xinhua.
