WASHINGTON - China only gave the United States a few hours notice ahead of a ballistic missile test launch on July 6 and provided insufficient detail, a State Department official said on July 8.

China’s military test-fired the missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the Pacific on July 6, Chinese state media reported, drawing criticism from the US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan.

The State Department official’s comments on July 8 amplified Washington’s increasing concern about the launch.

“China’s notification to the United States came only a few hours before the launch and failed to provide sufficient detail, falling considerably short of standards adopted by all other P5 nuclear weapon states,” the official said.

The P5 are the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and are the only nations recognised as nuclear-weapon states under the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“The test occurred amid China’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup and is of great concern to the region,” the official added.

The official told Reuters in a statement that launching such nuclear-capable missiles without participating in the regular diplomatic mechanism for advance notification was “irresponsible.”

“We urge Beijing to engage in meaningful discussions on strategic stability and arms control,” the official said, adding that the US “remains steadfast in its defence commitments to our allies and partners.”

China’s Xinhua news agency had described the launch as a “routine arrangement” of annual military training and not directed against any specific country or target.

Its embassy in Washington did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

While Beijing did not specify what type of missile had been launched, state-controlled tabloid Global Times, citing a military expert, said it was likely to have been the JL-3, China’s most advanced submarine-launched missile. That missile could reach the continental United States from Chinese coastal waters, according to a Pentagon report.

China, which is undergoing a massive build-up of its nuclear weapons programme, has repeatedly rebuffed US efforts to engage in nuclear arms control dialogue. Beijing has long argued that the US already has a much larger arsenal.

In 2024, China halted nascent talks on the issue with the United States in a protest of Washington’s arms sales to democratically governed Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. REUTERS

US criticises China for short notice ahead of missile test