Ground missile defense system tested

China launched its first ground-based midcourse missile defense interception test in four years on Monday, a move experts said would further improve China's long-range missile defense capability during wartime.

The test met expectations and was conducted in Chinese territory, the Defense Ministry said in an online statement on Tuesday. The test was defensive in nature and not targeted at any country, it added.

When asked about the test, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Tuesday that China resolutely follows the path of peaceful development and upholds a defensive military policy.