Arms race : In stern warning, China tells India to cool missile fever

State-run daily says Beijing will not sit still if Delhi goes too far with its missile programme.

Days after India test-fired Agni-IV, China’s state-run daily Global Times’ editorial cautioned New Delhi that Beijing will not sit still if the former goes too far.

“China is sincere in developing friendly ties with India. But it will not sit still if India goes too far,” the editorial said adding that New Delhi understood that it does little good to itself if the Sino-Indian relations are ruined by any geopolitical tricks.

India test-fired the long range nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile, with a strike range of 4,000km from Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha coast on Monday. Agni-IV experimentation received accolades from Indian media for the missile’s capability to ‘cover entire China’.





The editorial titled ‘India needs to cool its missile fever’ further said that India had “broken the UN’s limits on its development of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missile.”

“If the Western countries accept India as a nuclear country and are indifferent to the nuclear race between India and Pakistan, China will not stand out and stick rigidly to those nuclear rules as necessary,” it added.

The editorial went on to state that Pakistan should have those privileges in nuclear development that India has.

“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.”

The editorial, however, ruled out any threat to China from the Indian side. “Chinese don’t feel India’s development has posed any big threat to it.”

“It is simply believed that currently there is a vast disparity in power between the two countries,” it said and stressed that the best choice for both Beijing and New Delhi was to build rapport.

The editorial suggested that India should realize that owning several missiles did not mean it is a nuclear power.



“Even though India does become a nuclear power, it will be a long time before it can show off its strength to the world”.

Following the signing of nuclear technology transfer agreement with India in 2008, Washington has been keen for India to become member of NSG and every other related export control forum including Wassenaar Arrangement, Australia Group and Missile Technology Control Regime.

China, however has opposed the move claiming that India’s entry is not based on principle of parity for all.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2017.