China strongly pushed back against a U.S. statement criticizing its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test conducted on July 6, dismissing the rebuke as "typical political manipulation."

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The Chinese People's Liberation Army launches a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). China also conducted a test launch on July 6. / Xinhua News Agency

According to a report by state-run Xinhua News Agency on August 12, Li Chijiang, China's Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs, made the remarks in response to a U.S. statement regarding ballistic missile launch notifications at the Conference on Disarmament held in Geneva, Switzerland, on August 11 (local time).

Ambassador Li counterattacked the U.S., stating, "The U.S. is picking flaws and making groundless accusations against China's good-faith measure of providing advance notification for its missile test launches, engaging in massive 'megaphone diplomacy.'" He added, "This is typical political manipulation and a blatant double standard," emphasizing that "China can never accept this and resolutely opposes it."

Ambassador Li asserted that because China is not a subscribing state to the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC) mentioned by the U.S., it is not bound by it, claiming, "China has consistently conducted intercontinental ballistic missile test launches in a safe, standardized, and responsible manner, having notified countries including the U.S. in advance."

Furthermore, he claimed, "China has conducted intercontinental ballistic missile test launches only three times to date, marking the lowest frequency among the five nuclear-weapon states." He pointed out that the U.S., as the nation with the highest frequency and number of ICBM test launches globally, is in no position to criticize China.

Earlier at the meeting, the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva released a statement criticizing China's SLBM test launch, stating, "China failed to provide advance notification to all affected countries, and those that received notification were informed barely two hours in advance," labeling it an "irresponsible attitude." The mission also noted that the notifications provided by China lacked sufficient detail, emphasizing the need for China to subscribe to the HCOC.

According to diplomatic sources in Beijing familiar with U.S.-China relations, the U.S. Department of State also issued a joint statement on its website co-signed by 40 countries, including South Korea, urging broader subscription to the HCOC—an international framework encouraging advance notification of ballistic missile launches to neighboring states.

In connection with this, the State Department targeted China's SLBM test launch last month, pointing out, "Recent missile test activities in the Pacific region violated standard advance notification and deconfliction practices adopted by most nations regarding ICBM, SLBM, and SLV launches."

                                                                                                         Hong Soon-do