China goes ballistic in South China Sea
China fired four of its most capable conventional ballistic missiles into the South China Sea from bases in mainland China on 26 August. Most commentators saw these as ‘warning shots’ against an ongoing American presence in international waters and strategic friction between the two nations.
The event saw DF-26B intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) and DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) splash down in disputed waters south of Hainan Island and north of the Paracel Islands.
Nothing has been disclosed about the nature of the targets or whether they were hit, but the firings were
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