The US ground-launched cruise missile test carried out on Sunday could prompt a new arms race and jeopardise global security, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"US actions will lead to military escalation and will have a negative impact on the regional and international securityю This amply confirms that the United States indeed aimed at getting rid of restrictions, at developing advanced missiles and at securing unilateral military supremacy when it withdrew from the [INF] treaty", the official representative of the Foreign Ministry Geng Shuang said at a briefing.
Earlier today, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Moscow regretted the US cruise missile tests and stressed that Russia couldn't be dragged into an arms race.
The United States carried out its latest missile test on 18 August from San Nicolas Island, California. The Pentagon stated that "the test missile exited its ground mobile launcher and accurately impacted its target after more than 500 kilometres of flight".
The United States officially pulled out of the Cold War-era INF Treaty this month citing Russia's alleged violations of the agreement.
The landmark treaty required the two countries to eliminate and permanently abandon all of their ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometres.
Russia has repeatedly denied allegations that it violated the INF Treaty and complained that US defence systems in Europe included launchers capable of firing cruise missiles at ranges prohibited under the agreement.
