China did not test hypersonic nuclear missile, foreign ministry says | South China Morning Post

China has denied reports that it recently tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile , saying it was only carrying out routine test flights in a bid to recycle spacecraft to reduce exploration costs. "This was a routine test of a space vehicle to verify the technology of their reusability," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing in Beijing on Monday. The launched object "was not a missile" with a military purpose, but "a space vehicle" for civilian aims, he emphasised. Zhao said the experiment was essential for reducing the costs of spacecraft use, which would provide a convenient…