China Says Missile Defense System Test Successful

China's armed forces successfully tested a system for intercepting missiles in mid-flight on Monday, state media reported.

While China released few technical details of the test, the official Xinhua News Agency said that ''ground-based midcourse missile interception technology'' was tested and achieved the expected objective. ''The test is defensive in nature and is not targeted at any country,'' Xinhua said. This test appears to be another step in the intensifying animus brewing between China, and Taiwan. China has repeatedly issued strong warnings against Taiwan after their purchase of United States made arms, including the PAC-3 air defense missiles. China has repeatedly vowed violent means might be necessary in order to bring Taiwan back into the Communist country's control China split with Taiwan during a civil war in 1949 but regularly claims that the self-governing, democratic Taiwan as part of its territory. Beijing has warned of a disruption in ties with Washington if the sale goes ahead, but has not said what specific actions it would take. China is in the middle of a major technology upgrade for it's military forces, and missile technology is now considered one of the country's strengths, and if this test indeed went as well as reported, might put it a step ahead of the United States' own missile defense technology.