China’s test of a hypersonic missile worries America
It is the latest front in an emerging nuclear arms race
IN LATE JULY a Chinese Long March rocket streaked into space, much like the dozens that took off last year. But having begun to orbit the Earth, this rocket’s payload then lurched downwards, glided through the upper atmosphere and finally crashed to the ground. American officials were stunned, says the Financial Times, which recently broke news that this had been a test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic glider (China denies it). China conducted another such experiment a couple of weeks later, says the newspaper.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline "Glide and seek"
From the October 23rd 2021 edition
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