Videos Appear To Show Missiles Fired at ‘UFO’ in China

Chinese social media was abuzz with speculation over the weekend after footage appeared to show missiles being fired at unknown objects in the night sky.

Local media reports were unable to identify the intended targets, which they called “unidentified flying objects” (UFO), but bright flashes caught on camera pointed to successful interceptions by the Chinese military in the eastern province of Shandong.

Why It Matters

China’s ongoing military buildup is one the most opaque in the world, with much of the tender process kept secret and its true defense spending still a big unknown despite publicly stated figures. On paper, it has the second-largest budget in the world behind the United States.

The Chinese government has placed a premium on the secrecy of its top military programs. It recently tightened the rules around so-called state secrets to govern what members of the public are permitted to share online—after images of its newest aircraft carrier continually appeared on social media sites in the West.

However, the lack of transparency in China fuels speculation surrounding unusual events—especially those potentially involving the military—where official explanations are often withheld or delayed and an information vacuum leads to the spread of disinformation, including about extraterrestrial life.

The Chinese Defense Ministry did not respond to an emailed request for comment outside of office hours.

What To Know

Footage shared by residents in the coastal city of Weifang showed a flaming projectile tearing through the sky at approximately 9 p.m. local time on Friday. The unknown object collides with another moving object arriving from the opposite direction, exploding in a bright flash of light.

Residents described hearing a thunderous noise that rattled their windows, a local news outlet said, while one man filming on his cellphone said a “missile” had been launched.

CCTV footage shared to Weibo, China‘s largest social media website, appeared to show at least two suspected missiles launched five minutes apart from the same site and following a similar trajectory before exploding in the sky.

It was not immediately clear what the missiles had impacted. A spokesperson for Weifang city’s emergency management agency said he was not aware of the incident. The provincial Emergency Management Department in Shandong did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

On Weibo, where the trending topic generated over 150 million views as of Tuesday, speculation by netizens ranged from an alien UFO to an unauthorized drone or incoming meteorite.

While Chinese officials have yet to clarify the incident—and may never—the probability that it was part of a military training event, specifically an air defense drill, remains high.

On September 11, China’s Maritime Safety Administration issued navigational warnings for two live-fire areas in the southern Bohai Sea, off the coast of Weifang and near the city’s Weibei artillery test range. The firing exercise was scheduled to last from 4 p.m. on September 12 to midnight on September 14.

How the Chinese Internet Reacted

“Flying this slowly, it must be a drone,” one Weibo user wrote.

“The military is conducting training. No need to make a fuss,” another said.

A third netizen said: “We weren’t supposed to know about it.”

A fourth added: “Awesome, no matter what it is. A 100 percent interception rate.”