Scientific experiments carried out by China within its borders are normal ones conducted according to its schedule, and they are not directed against any specific country or target, the Ministry of National Defense said on Tuesday.

The ministry's press office told China Daily in response to a US media report saying China conducted a third flight test of a new hypersonic missile in western China, on Dec 2 .

The test, following two in January and August, was part of China's "strategic nuclear program and efforts to develop delivery vehicles capable of defeating US countermeasures", The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news website, said on Dec 4.