China's military test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday morning, according to defense officials, marking its first public test of the weapon in decades.

China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean in what appeared to be its first such public test in some four decades, a move likely to rattle the US as it seeks to sway world leaders at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

China's Rocket Force, the missile branch of its military, has seen astonishing growth in recent years, including its nuclear arsenal.