Rep. Michael McCaul argued on Monday that China's reported missile launch could put the security of the United States at risk as the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said this is exactly what he was "worried about."
The official said that China's missile test was a security threat to the United States whose defense system was still lacking. McCaul noted that Beijing's recent test launch, which it claimed was spacecraft technology, was the most advanced, most dangerous weapon system that America could not defend itself from.
New Cold War
McCaul argued that while the new missiles were seen in Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government has not actually used them. But the recent launches proved that the technology's capability to orbit the earth and land about 25 miles away from its target was a "disturbing" thing to think about.
During an interview, McCaul said that China's missile launch was like a wake-up call for the United States and its allies. The official said it was also a "Sputnik moment" where the country was being forced to win the global competition against the second-largest economy in the world that is China, Fox News reported.
Additionally, a top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mike Gallagher, argued that China's missile launch could signal a "new Cold War" that the United States could lose. The official said that incident could happen within the next decade after Beijing caught U.S. intelligence officials off guard with its testing of new technology.
The official supported the idea that China's missile launch should serve as a "call to action" for the United States. Gallagher argued that if the federal government continued with its complacent course or continued to depend on "integrated deterrence", they could lose the new Cold War.
In a statement, Gallagher said that the People's Liberation Army of China now had powerful technology and increasingly credible capability to undermine the United States' missile defenses. They could use the armaments to threaten America using both conventional and nuclear strikes, the New York Post reported.
China's Missile Test
China's government, on the other hand, continued to deny that it tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August. Beijing argued on Monday that the test actually involved a "routine spacecraft experiment."
On Sunday, it was reported that China conducted testing of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August. The missile allegedly circled the globe before speeding towards its target, demonstrating its advanced space capability that shocked U.S. intelligence officials.
During a regular press briefing on Monday, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the test conducted in August was a "spacecraft." The official argued that the test was done to verify the reusable technology of spacecraft, which had great significance in reducing the cost of spacecraft use. Zhao said the technology could provide a more convenient and cheaper way for people to use space peacefully. He added that many worldwide companies have previously carried out similar experiments throughout history.
"China will work together with other countries in the world to benefit mankind in the peaceful use of space," Zhao said, noting that the piece of equipment that separated from the spacecraft before it returned was supporting equipment, CNN reported.
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