China accuses US of double standards after Washington criticizes missile test

Mao further insisted that the test launch complied fully with international law and customary international practice, adding that the operation was not directed at any specific country or target.

China lashed out at the United States on Thursday, describing recent American criticism of its latest nuclear capable ballistic missile test as a textbook example of double standards and hegemonic behavior.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing that the United States remains the only country to have actually used nuclear weapons in warfare, while maintaining the world’s largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal and regularly launching strategic missiles from nuclear powered submarines. She said Washington’s decision to criticize a routine Chinese missile launch reflects a clear pattern of double standards and hegemonism.

China announced Monday that it had successfully carried out a test launch of a strategic missile from a nuclear submarine, notifying several Pacific nations of the planned test just hours before the launch occurred. The test represents China’s second strategic missile launch since it fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean in September 2024, which marked the country’s first such test since 1980.

Washington criticized the latest test, saying China’s rapid and opaque expansion of its nuclear arsenal raises significant concern both for the region and the broader world. American officials urged Beijing to engage in meaningful arms control discussions and to commit to a regularized notification system covering all intercontinental range ballistic missile and space launches, consistent with commitments already made by other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Mao reiterated that the test launch formed part of China’s routine annual military training program, designed specifically to verify the reliability, safety and overall effectiveness of relevant weapon systems. She said the United States needs to view the development of China’s national defense and military capabilities in an objective and rational manner, while working earnestly to uphold global strategic stability.

Mao further insisted that the test launch complied fully with international law and customary international practice, adding that the operation was not directed at any specific country or target. She framed the launch as consistent with standard military procedures that major nuclear powers routinely conduct as part of maintaining their strategic capabilities.

The exchange highlights ongoing tension between Washington and Beijing over China’s expanding nuclear arsenal, which American officials have repeatedly flagged as a growing strategic concern in recent years. Analysts tracking Chinese military developments have noted a steady increase in the sophistication and frequency of Beijing’s strategic weapons testing, a trend that has drawn increasing scrutiny from Washington and allied nations across the Indo-Pacific region.

China’s decision to notify Pacific nations ahead of Monday’s test suggests an effort to demonstrate transparency regarding the operation, even as American officials continue to criticize the broader lack of clarity surrounding China’s overall nuclear weapons buildup. The gap between China’s notification of this specific test and Washington’s characterization of Beijing’s broader nuclear program as opaque reflects the deeper disagreement between the two countries over how much transparency China’s military modernization efforts actually provide.

The dispute over missile testing adds to a broader pattern of strategic competition between the United States and China, spanning military capabilities, technological development and regional influence across the Indo-Pacific. Both countries have repeatedly accused each other of destabilizing actions in the region, with Washington pointing to China’s military buildup near Taiwan and in the South China Sea, while Beijing has criticized what it characterizes as American military presence and alliance building efforts throughout Asia.

China’s reference to the United States as the only country to have used nuclear weapons invokes the historical bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War Two, a point Chinese officials have raised repeatedly in previous exchanges regarding nuclear weapons policy and strategic stability. Beijing has consistently argued that its own nuclear posture remains far more restrained compared with the scale of the American arsenal, even as Western analysts note the pace of China’s recent nuclear expansion has accelerated significantly over the past several years.

As both countries continue exchanging criticism over military transparency and strategic stability, the broader question of arms control cooperation between Washington and Beijing remains unresolved, with American officials continuing to push for expanded notification agreements that China has yet to fully commit to adopting.