North Korea fires response to regional arms race

American military expansion in the Asia-Pacific and its development of more powerful weapons has inevitably spurred an arms race in the region. North Korea's claimed successful launching of a test hypersonic missile , in the wake of the rival South advancing its rocket capabilities and Australia's announcement it would acquire United States-made nuclear submarines, proves the point. There are doubts whether Pyongyang has the technical ability to develop so sophisticated a projectile, but no denying its achievements since Kim Jong-un took power almost a decade ago. As long as Washington insists on increasing its presence to counter China's rise, instability…