China claims to have successfully tested “ground-based midcourse anti-missile intercept technology” in the country’s latest advance in missile technology. The state’s defense department in Beijing said the missile-killing system test “achieved its expected purpose” and insisted the research is a defensive move. News of the test comes after China has made multiple criticisms in recent years of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system deployed by U.S. forces in South Korea. Chinese authorities say the THAAD system’s radar could be used to spy on China and have vehemently opposed the system’s presence in East Asia. Although China has remained secretive about the details of its own missile programs, state media has claimed anti-missile system tests for over a decade.