“This is extremely unusual and likely the first time in decades that we’ve seen a test like this,” Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said.
“(The test) likely speaks to China’s ongoing nuclear modernisation manifesting in new requirements for testing,” he added.
The PLA Rocket Force, which oversees the country’s conventional and nuclear missiles, has been tasked with modernising China’s nuclear forces to deter developments such as improved US missile defences, better surveillance capabilities, and strengthened alliances.
Some analysts, however, argue the speed of China’s nuclear buildup goes beyond a credible minimum deterrence.
Beijing says it adheres to a “no first use” policy.
The Chinese military has emphasised that the central military commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, is the only nuclear command authority.
China, which has been frequently criticised by the US for the opacity of its nuclear buildup, scrapped nuclear talks with Washington in July over US arms sales to Taiwan.
China has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads in its arsenal, of which approximately 350 are ICBMs, and will probably have over 1,000 warheads by 2030, the Pentagon estimated last year. China’s military is constructing hundreds of secret silos for land-based ICBMs, the Pentagon said in the report.