China on Wednesday publicly announced for the first time a successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean, in a move described by military analysts as a strategic show of power.

The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force at 8.44am local time and “fell into expected sea areas,” the Chinese defence ministry said in a statement.

It added that it was a “routine arrangement in our annual training plan” and not directed at any country or target.

But the launch comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region over China’s nuclear build-up and expansionist ambitions that have been creating potential flashpoints with neighbouring countries including Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.

“Timing is everything.This launch is a powerful signal intended to intimidate everyone,” said Drew Thompson, a former US defence official and now senior fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore.

According to the Xinhua news agency, the launch “effectively tested the performance of weapons and equipment and the training level of the troops and achieved the expected goal”.

Mr Thompson said the test was a “capability demonstration” with the very practical purpose of measuring the missile’s performance but he described the timing as “more strategic than tactical”.

He added: “It’s a signal that China has capabilities beyond what it has already brought to bear. It’s demonstrating that it has acted with a degree of restraint and that there are limits to its forbearance and its tolerance.”

The PLA Rocket Force, which oversees the country’s conventional and nuclear missiles, has been tasked with modernising China’s nuclear forces.

Some analysts have warned that the speed of China’s nuclear build-up goes beyond a credible minimum deterrence, even though Beijing states it adheres to a “no first use” policy.

China is expanding its nuclear arsenal “faster than any other country” and could have as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as the US or Russia by the end of the decade, said a report in June by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The Pentagon’s China Military Power Report estimated that, as of May last year, China had around 500 operational nuclear warheads, which would increase to 1,000 by 2030 and 1,500 by 2035, roughly matching the numbers currently deployed by the US and Russia.

Euan Graham, an Indo-Pacific security expert and senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said both the launch and the authorities’ acknowledgment of it were “unusual”.

The launch is the first time in over four decades that China is known to have successfully conducted an atmospheric test of an ICBM.

The first test of a Chinese ICBM took place in May 1980, when a DF-5 flew more than 5,500 miles. Since then, most of China’s nuclear weapons tests have been conducted underground.

“Above all, it highlights that China is not subject to any arms control restraints on nuclear weapons and is now in a period of unrestricted strategic competition,” said Dr Graham.

“From an Australian/Pacific Islands point of view, it’s a pointer to China’s strategic interests directly impacting the Pacific region.”

Few details are known about the latest test, including the path of the missile, where exactly it had fallen, or which countries were informed in advance.

China’s most up-to-date ICBM is the DF-41, which came into service in 2017 and which has an operational range of up to 7,460-9,320 miles, capable of reaching the US mainland.