US punts Minuteman missile test as China practices Taiwan blockade

The United States has postponed a scheduled test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to avoid increasing tensions with China as the Asian superpower flexes its military muscle around Taiwan following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed Thursday that the test would be delayed for “a short period of time.”

“As China engages in destabilizing military exercises around Taiwan, the United States is demonstrating, instead, the behavior of a responsible nuclear power by reducing the risks of miscalculation,” Kirby told reporters, adding that President Biden and his national security team “believes that a strong, confident, capable nuclear power can afford to wait a couple of weeks for a test to make it clear — not just in word, but in deed — how serious we are when we say we have no interest in escalating the tensions.”

The Wall Street Journal first reported that the test — set to take place at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California this week — would be pushed back.