China successfully conducted its seventh land-based, mid-course antiballistic missile (ABM) test on Friday, indicating that the country has mastered related technologies to form a credible deterrent against nuclear threats. According to China’s Ministry of National Defense, the test achieved its expected goals and was of a defensive nature, not aimed at any country. Mid-course interception, which involves a missile traversing outside the atmosphere after being boosted by a rocket booster in the initial phase, is technically challenging but considered the