PLA publishes rare photos of missile launch

Release of images shows increased level of transparency, professor says

In a rare publicity move, the Chinese military on Thursday morning published pictures of its intercontinental ballistic missile launch that took place on Wednesday.

The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force published four pictures showing a big, green-painted missile soaring up into the sky after lifting off from a launch vehicle among what appeared to be tropical shrubs.

It was an unusual move for the PLA, which has seldom published photos of its intercontinental ballistic missiles, let alone images of a launch of one.