China fumes at Agni IV test, vows to help Pakistan
06 Jan 2017
China on Thursday fumed at India's testing of the Agni IV, its long-range ballistic missile, which can travel 4,000 km. India carried out the test on Monday, which closely follows successful testing of the Agni V that has a range of more than 5,000 km and can reach China and Europe.
An op-ed carried in today's state-run Global Times (GT) commented harshly on India's nuclear ambitions and made it clear China would stand by its old friend Pakistan and help it increase its arsenal of long-range missiles if India continues to make more inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM).
''If the UN Security Council has no objection over this, let it be. The range of Pakistan's nuclear missiles will also see an increase. If the world can adapt to these, China should too,'' said the op-ed in a commentary that also went on to warn India to not get delusional about it status on the world stage. ''India should realise that owning several missiles does not mean it is a nuclear power,'' was the clear-cut message to India today.
China often uses its state-owned media to convey messages to various nations. The message for India today is a mix of warning and caution with GT pointing out that as of now, India's GDP accounts for about 20 per cent of China's, and that China's overall military industrial capacity is much better than that of India.
