US wants to conclude agreement with China on notification of ICBM launches

By Alimat Aliyeva

The United States is seeking to sign an agreement with China to notify each other of test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Azernews reports.

The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Policy and Countering WMD Proliferation made the statement at a conference on nuclear issues at the Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"I consider it positive that the PRC recently provided advance notification of the launch of its ICBM. Not all parties in the region were notified, but the United States was. And, as already reported, the United States reciprocated on a one-time basis regarding the planned regular test of its Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missile. Yes, it was scheduled for election day (in the USA, November 5th). But it was a planned, regular test. We provided very good advance notice in this regard," the statement said.

"However, it would be even better to have an agreement in some format that allows for this exchange of information on ICBM launches on a regular basis, and not just on a one-time basis in certain cases," Johnson said. According to him, such an agreement would contribute to "reducing risks" between the United States and China. "It would be very, very useful in this regard," said the representative of the U.S. military department.