The People's Liberation Army Navy posts a file photo of the firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media, asking, "Do you believe [there are] UFOs, too?" on June 24, 2019. (Photo: Global Times)

The scheduled test was normal, China's Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday, when asked about the alleged test launch of a JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on June 2.

"These tests are not targeted at any country or objective," Defense Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said at a routine press conference.

Ren was responding to a question from the Global Times on reports that residents claimed to have seen an unidentified flying object (UFO) on June 2.

Just as media and netizens speculated on the true nature of the UFO, relating it to a naval exercise that took place in the Bohai Sea and Bohai Straits at the same time, the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force and Navy hinted on June 3 that the "UFOs" could be missiles launched.

Chinese and foreign reports then speculated that the missile could be China's new SLBM, the JL-3.

During the press conference, Ren did not explain what weapon was used in the test, however, if the information provided in the question was wrong and it was not the JL-3, the spokesperson would have denied it, as in many previous cases, military analysts said.

Military experts told the Global Times that the JL-3 is China's latest SLBM under development that is expected to reach targets farther away with higher accuracy and capable of carrying more warheads than China's current SLBMs.

The SLBM might have a range of up to 14,000 kilometers and be equipped with 10 independent guided nuclear warheads, Russia's state TV channel Russia Today reported.

China always pursues a defensive national defense policy and active defense military strategy, Ren said, noting that developing weapons and equipment meets the basic needs of safeguarding national security of China.