BEIJING – China confirmed on Thursday that it had put into a service a newmissile that Chinese media has dubbed the “Guam killer” for its ability tohit the U.S. Pacific Ocean base with a conventional or nuclear weapon.

China is in the midst of an ambitious modernisation programme for its armedforces, developing stealth fighters, aircraft carriers and advancedmissiles as it strives to become a world class military by the middle ofthe century.

That, along with an increasingly assertive stance in the disputed SouthChina Sea and around Taiwanlink>claimed by Chinaas its sacred territory, has rattled nerves around the region and inWashington.

Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said that the military had begun puttinginto service the DF-26 intermediate range ballistic missile — called the“Guam killer” by media and defence experts.

Mr. Wu gave few details, aside from that it can carry conventional as wellas nuclear warheads and attack targets on land or at sea with precision.

In a separate announcement, China’s Air Force said that its aircraft hadagain flown around Taiwan, the latest in a series of exercises Taiwan hasdescribed as military intimidation. Taiwan is one of China’s most sensitiveissues and a potential military flashpoint. Over the past year or so, Chinahas ramped up military drills around democratic Taiwan, including flyingbombers and other military aircraft around the island. The Chinese airforce said it scrambled fighter jets, early warning aircraft,reconnaissance planes and H-6K bombers from multiple airports for “combatmilitary drills” on Thursday. – Agencies