<span style="color: #222222;">Russia and China have warned that a new US missile test had heightened military tensions and risked sparking an arms race.<br />'' <br />'' The US and Russia ditched the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty this month after accusing each other of violating the accord.<br />'' <br />'' Washington said the agreement also tied its hands in dealing with other powers.<br />'' <br />'' The US Department of Defense announced yesterday that it had tested a type of ground-launched missile that was banned under the 1987 INF agreement, which limited the use of nuclear and conventional medium-range weapons.<br />'' <br />'' Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told state news agency TASS that the US has obviously taken a course towards the escalation of military tensions. <br />'' <br />'' In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said this measure from the US will trigger a new round of an arms race, leading to an escalation of military confrontation. He warned that the test will have a serious negative impact on the international and regional security situation.<br />'' <br />'' The missile was launched from the US Navy-controlled San Nicolas Island off the coast of California.<br />'' <br />'' The INF banned all land-based missiles that could travel between 500 and 5,500 kilometres in an effort to abolish the class of nuclear arms that then most threatened Europe.<br />'' <br />'' </span><br />''<br />