The Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday the location of a recent test reported by some media outlets was "sheer speculation".

In response to a question that "media reports said China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile near the South China Sea", the ministry said: "The location reported by the media was sheer speculation."

"It is common for us to conduct tests, within the territory as planned, for scientific research. Such tests are not aimed at any specific country or target," the ministry said.

On April 19, the Washington Free Beacon, a US-based defense news website, said "China conducted another flight test of its newest and longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile last week amid growing tensions with the United States over the South China Sea".

However, the report, quoting unnamed Pentagon officials, said such officials "did not say where the test took place".