Opinion | How Chinese missile tests could up the stakes for the US in the South China Sea
- Last month’s tests of anti-ship missiles near the disputed Spratly Islands send a clear message to Washington about the risks of future engagement, writes Ankit Panda
- US planners have long worried about the risks of intervening in support of Taiwan and the Philippines, and the use of these weapons may cancel out its advantages
In the final days of June, soon after the G20 encounter between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Japan, the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force conducted missile tests in a disputed part of the South China Sea.
The tests took on particular significance in light of reports that the weapons fired were anti-ship ballistic missiles.
While the US has long known that China was developing these capabilities, previous tests have been conducted over the Chinese mainland and this marked the first known time the missile had flown over open waters.
Though the missiles tested remains unknown, the most likely candidates are the DF-21D – long known as China’s “carrier killer” – and the anti-ship variant of the DF-26, a much longer-range missile.
The first has an estimated range of about 1,500km (930 miles) and the other has a range of up to 4,000km – which has seen it branded the “Guam killer” because of its ability to reach the US overseas territory from the Chinese mainland.
