China disputes report of hypersonic missile test, says tested space vehicle

FILE PHOTO: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian attends a news conference in Beijing, China September 10, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

China tested a space vehicle in July, not a hypersonic missile as reported by the Financial Times, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday.

"It was not a missile, it was a space vehicle," ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular press briefing in Beijing.

(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Catherine Evans)