A technical problem discovered in a target missile has caused a delay of at least two hours in the test of a controversial US missile defence system. There has also been sharp criticism of US plans from Beijing, where US arms controls negotiators are currently holding talks with their Chinese counterparts. The system would aim to put Taiwan in a sphere of protection. The talks are aimed at reopening a dialogue on arms control issues, which was cut off by China last year in response to the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo conflict. On Thursday, China's Prime Minister Zhu Rongji angrily attacked both US anti-ballistic missile schemes.
China regards neighbouring Taiwan as a renegade state.
America's allies in Europe have not been so outspoken. But there is widespread concern in European capitals about the possible implications of Washington going ahead with the programme. Many commentators in Europe have compared it to former President Reagan's controversial 'Star Wars' plan. Mr Reagan wanted to build a system which could shoot down enemy missiles from space. The plan is for a missile armed with a dummy warhead to be fired over the Pacific Ocean from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.