China critical of AGNI V launch, says India should not overestimate its military strength

Beijing, April 19 (ANI): China on Thursday appeared to criticize India's decision to test fire its long-range nuclear-capable Agni V missile, saying that despite this achievement, New Delhi should not overestimate its military strength.

"India should not overestimate its strength. Even if it has missiles that could reach most parts of China, that does not mean it will gain anything from being arrogant during disputes with China. India should be clear that China's nuclear power is stronger and more reliable. For the foreseeable future, India would stand no chance in an overall arms race with China," the Chinese daily, The Global Times, said in an article.

he AGNI-V, which was launched from off the Odisha coast a little after 8.a.m. Indian Standard Time (IST) this morning, has a range of over 5,000 kilometers, meaning it could reach China.

The Global Times article further said that while India's path for boosting its military strength has not met too many obstacles, the country is still poor and lags behind in infrastructure construction.

It also criticized the West for consistently overlooking India's disregard of nuclear and missile control treaties.

It questioned why the West remains silent about the fact that India's military spending increased by 17 percent in 2012 and the country has again become the largest weapons importer in the world.

The paper cautioned India not to overstate the value of its Western allies and the profits it could gain from participating in a containment of China. If it equates long-range strategic missiles with deterrence of China, and stirs up further hostility, it could be sorely mistaken.

It said that China and India should develop as friendly a relationship as possible. Even if this cannot be achieved, the two should at least tolerate each other and learn to coexist.

Their status as newly emerging countries shows the two should cooperate on the international stage. It would be unwise for China and India to seek a balance of power by developing missiles, the article adds.

The geopolitics of Asia will become more dependent on the nature of Sino-Indian relations. The peace and stability of the region are crucial to both countries. China and India should both take responsibility for maintaining this peace and stability and be wary of external intervention, it sattes.

China understands the Indian desire to catch up with China. China, as the most appropriate strategic target for India, is willing to take India as a peaceful competitor.

Due to historical reasons, China and India are sensitive toward each other. But objectively speaking, China does not spend much time guarding against India, while India focuses a lot of attention on China. China hopes India will remain calm, as this would be beneficial to both giants, the article concludes. (ANI)