Austin says U.S. is closely watching Chinese advanced weapons development

TBILISI - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday that Washington was closely watching China's development of advanced weapons systems but declined to comment on a report that it had tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile.

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday that China had tested a space vehicle in July, not a hypersonic missile, as reported by the Financial Times.

Austin was speaking at a news conference during a visit to Georgia.