Beijing mocks America, their 21,000mph nuclear-capable missile a 'new blow to the U.S.'

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Beijing has mocked America by saying their secret test of a 21,000mph nuclear-capable missile, which orbited the globe before returning to Earth to strike its target, is a 'new blow to the US's mentality of strategic superiority over China'.

The jibe follows a report from the Financial Times, which cited five unnamed intelligence sources, said the Chinese military launched the Long March rocket in August carrying a 'hypersonic glide vehicle' into low orbit.

It circled the globe before descending towards its target, which is missed by about two dozen miles, in a technological development that would overcome US anti-ballistic missile systems.

The incident caught the US intelligence community by surprise, sources say, as it shows 'China has made astonishing progress on the development of its hypersonic weapons'.

One person familiar with the test said: 'We have no idea how they did this.'

And to rub salt into their wounds, an op-ed in the Chinese state media outlet Global Times, Beijing's mouthpiece, said the test means 'there is a key new member in China's nuclear deterrence system', adding that this is a 'new blow to the US's mentality of strategic superiority over China'.

The hypersonic missiles can reach speeds of up to 21,000 mph and can strike anywhere on Earth from space within minutes.

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