China's Nuclear missile sparks global alarm, US urges Asian countries to..., missile can destroy... DF-5 can travel...
Chinese President Xi Jinping- File image
Beijing: In a major development, China has revealed significant details about one of its nuclear weapons for the first time. China's state broadcaster CCTV has released key information about one of country's main nuclear-capable missile systems, the DF-5. It is important to note that China's nuclear program has traditionally been highly secretive, especially regarding specific missile capabilities and deployments.
However, many experts are wondering why details about the DF-5—an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)—have been made public. The timing of this revelation is also notable, as it comes just days after the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia's largest defense and security forum. At the forum, the United States sent a clear message that amid China's aggressive stance, the Indo-Pacific remains a top priority for the Trump administration. America Issues Stern Warning To China
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked all its Asian allies to strengthen their defenses in response to China's military buildup near Taiwan. While making his first speech at Shangri-La, Hegseth mentioned China more than 20 times and issued a direct warning to Beijing. Hegseth said, 'Any attempt by Communist China to forcibly take over Taiwan will have devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There is no reason to hide this.' China Was Taken by Surprise
Emphasizing on China's growing influence in the West, Hegseth said, 'We are also strengthening security in the Western Hemisphere and taking back the Panama Canal from malign Chinese influence. After all, it is a critical piece of geography. China did not build that canal. We did. And we will not allow China to weaponize or control it.'
The tone of Hegseth's speech took many by surprise — certainly, China was stunned. He added, 'If deterrence fails, and if called upon by my Commander-in-Chief, we are ready to do what the Department of Defense does best — fight and win — decisively.' DF-5 Strength and its features:
Officials often resort to vague language and steer clear of specific details when discussing weapons. However, this time, China broke from that pattern, revealing that its two-stage missile—described as the country's 'first-generation strategic ICBM'—is capable of delivering a single nuclear warhead with an explosive yield ranging between 3 and 4 megatons of TNT.
It added that the missile had a maximum range of 12,000km (7,460 miles) – enough to strike the continental United States and western Europe – and was accurate to within 500 metres (1,600 feet), a critical factor according to modern military doctrines.
It added that the missile was '32.6 metres in length with a diameter of 3.35 metres and a launch weight of 183 tonnes'.
The missile's warhead yield – up to 4 megatons – is roughly 200 times greater than the atomic bombs dropped by the US on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.
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India Gazette
23 minutes ago
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FirstUp: Meloni to host Nato's Mark Rutte, UNGA vote on Gaza... The headlines today
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an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
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The Geneva deal had faltered over China's continued curbs on critical minerals exports, prompting the Trump administration to respond with export controls preventing shipments of semiconductor design software, jet engines for Chinese-made planes and other goods to China. Lutnick said the agreement reached in London would remove restrictions on Chinese exports of rare earths minerals and magnets and some of the recent U.S. export restrictions "in a balanced way," but did not provide details after the talks concluded around midnight London time (7 p.m. EDT). "We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents," Lutnick said. Both sides will now return to present the framework to their respective presidents for approvals, he added. "And if that is approved, we will then implement the framework," he said. In a separate briefing, China's vice commerce minister, Li Chenggang, also said a trade framework had been reached in principle that would be taken back to U.S. and Chinese leaders. Trump's shifting tariff policies have roiled global markets, sparked congestion and confusion in major ports, and cost companies tens of billions of dollars in lost sales and higher costs. U.S. stocks drifted lower on Wednesday but have recouped most of the losses suffered earlier in the spring during Trump's wave of tariff announcements. "It's a done deal, according to President Trump, but we haven't seen any details, which is why I think the market is not reacting to it yet. As with just about everything, the devil is in the details," said Oliver Pursche, senior vice president and adviser at Wealthspire Advisors in Westport, Connecticut. The World Bank on Tuesday slashed its global growth forecast for 2025 by four-tenths of a percentage point to 2.3%, saying higher tariffs and heightened uncertainty posed a "significant headwind" for nearly all economies. The U.S.-China deal may keep the Geneva agreement from unravelling over duelling export controls, but does little to resolve deep differences over Trump's unilateral tariffs and longstanding U.S. complaints about China's state-led, export-driven economic model. "If China will course correct by upholding its end of the initial trade agreement we outlined in Geneva - and I believe after our talks in London, they will - then the rebalancing of the world' largest economies is possible," Bessent told a separate House of Representatives hearing hours after returning from the London talks. The two sides left Geneva with fundamentally different views of the terms of that agreement and needed to be more specific on required actions, said Josh Lipsky, senior director of the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center in Washington. "They are back to square one, but that's much better than square zero," Lipsky said. It was not immediately clear from Trump's comments where things stood regarding the timeline for a more comprehensive deal that was reached last month in Geneva, a deadline set at that time for August 10.
