How can the United States and its allies shore up defence systems in the face of new missile technology developed by the CCP?

Earlier this month, reports suggested China had fired a hypersonic weapon in August, which missed its target by approximately 40 kilometres after travelling through low-orbit space and circling the globe.

The report, which first appeared in the Financial Times, cited five unnamed sources claiming China had made “astounding progress” on hypersonic weapons and was “far more advanced than US officials realised”.

But China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian denied the reports, claiming it was a “routine test”, which formed part of a civilian space project.