Cautious Response From China Concerning Agni V

China on Thursday said the two countries are not rivals and enjoy “sound” relations though the sources in the Chinese establishment feel that the launch can give rise to another round of arms race in the region.

“China has taken note of reports on India’s missile launch. The two countries have sound relationship.

“During the (recently held) BRICS meeting (in Delhi) the leadership had consensus to take the relationship further and to push forward bilateral strategic cooperative partnership,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a media briefing in Beijing when asked about the launch.

In Delhi, the diplomatic sources in the Chinese embassy said the “Agni-V launch can give rise to another round of arms race in this part of the world.”

Asked whether China was concerned as most of the country would come under the Agni’s range, Mr. Liu said in Beijing that “both the countries are emerging powers. We are not rivals. We are cooperative partners. We should cherish the hard earned momentum of cooperation.”

To another question whether it would affect the regional stability, he said “we hope Asian countries can contribute to peace and stability.”

However, China’s state-run Global Times came out with a strong editorial criticising the launch, claiming that the Chinese nuclear power is more “stronger and reliable” and New Delhi has “no chance” to catch up.

Agni-5 Launched

                                    
India successfully demonstrated its Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capability by launching its most powerful and longest range missile, Agni-V, from the Wheeler Island off the Odisha(Orissa) coast.

The 17-metre-long surface-to-surface ballistic missile lifted off majestically from a rail mobile launcher at 8.04 a.m. After a flight time of 20 minutes, the missile re-entry vehicle impacted the per-designated target point more than 5,000 km away in the Indian Ocean with a high degree of accuracy.

V. K. Sarawat who is Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister told that with that missile launch, India has emerged as a major missile power. It has joined a select group of countries possessing technology to design, develop, build and manufacture long range missiles of this class and technological complexity.”

It was a flawless flight and the three stages jettisoned on time. The third stage fired the re-entry vehicle into the atmosphere at perfect angle at an altitude of 100 kms. The pay load withstood the searing temperatures of around 3000 degree Celsius.

This is the first time India has test fired a three-stage, all solid-fuelled missile. Many new technologies including the state of art navigation system and carbon composite rocket motor casings were tested in the missile. All the radar telemetry and electro optical stations along the coast besides three ships tracked the flight trajectory of the missile and final terminal event at the impact point.

The fireball that erupted when the dummy payload hit the waters of the Indian Ocean was recorded by the cameras on board the ships stationed around the impact point. The missile weighed 50 tonnes and is capable of carrying a nuclear war head weighing 1.1 tonne.