Director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program, Sam Roggeveen, tells AFP that China's test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean is "extremely rare" but the objective was more likely "military" rather than intended to send a specific political signal to other nations. Roggeveen also says the test is part of an ongoing program to expand China's nuclear arsenal. Beijing has stepped up its nuclear development and boosted defence spending in recent years, with the Pentagon last October warning China was developing its arsenal more quickly than the United States had anticipated. SOUNDBITES