Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: It is apparent that India’s successful launch of its first Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Agni-V has not gone down well with Beijing. The Communist state’s media on Friday slammed New Delhi for showing no regard for nuclear non-proliferation treaties meant for deescalating arms race.
A leading Chinese daily, in its editorial, said, “India gains nothing by stirring further hostility and it has no chance in an overall arms race.”
Commenting heavily on the slow pace of development in India, the daily said, “The country (India) is still poor and lags behind in infrastructure construction, but its society is highly supportive of developing nuclear power.”
The daily also slammed the international community for deliberately overlooking New Delhi’s increased military spending. “The West remains silent on India’s military spending increased by 17% in 2012 and country has again become largest weapons importer in the world," it said.
Taking a jibe at the major super powers, which have been pressurising rogue states like Iran and North Korea to give up their ambitious nuclear programme, the daily said, “West has chosen to overlook India’s disregard of nuclear and missile control treaties".
These observations by the Chinese daily were published on a day when Beijing called on the international community to work together in promoting international nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament and nuclear security.
The statement came late on Thursday hours after India successfully test-fired its ICBM Agni-V ballistic missile.
Li Baodong, the Chinese permanent representative to the UN, who took the floor at an open meeting of the UN Security Council on nuclear non-proliferation, said, “The international community needs to enhance its coordination and cooperation in this regard and join hands to face the challenge."
"To continually promote international nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament, and nuclear security is of great significance to maintaining international peace and security," Xinhua quoted Li as saying.
"China supports the Security Council in playing its role in this regard," Li said.
"With the common efforts of the international community, the areas of arms control and non-proliferation have seen some positive developments," he added. "At the same time, the nuclear proliferation issue remains acute. Nuclear disarmament has a long way to go. The nuclear security situation remains grave."
"China believes to maintain international peace and stability, to realise general security in the world, we must uphold a new security concept based on mutual trust, benefit, equality, and coordination...," he said.
"We must consolidate international nuclear non-proliferation mechanisms, fully respect the rights of countries to peaceful use of nuclear energy and avoid double standards," he opined.
