Beijing downplays India’s missile launch
April 19th, 2012 - 6:32 pm ICT by IANSLondon, April 19 (IANS) Beijing Thursday reacted cautiously to India’s successful launch of a missile capable of striking anywhere in China, saying the “neighbouring giants are not rivals but co-operation partners”, it was reported here.
On Thursday, India stormed into an elite club of nations with the capability to hit targets 5,000 km away, with the successful test of the much-anticipated Agni-V long-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile.
With its launch from Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast, India also emerged as a major missile powerhouse of the world, having developed Agni-V almost entirely indigenously over the last four years.
Asked for comment on the launch, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters in Beijing Thursday: “China has taken note of reports of India’s missile launch.”
“China and India are both big emerging countries, we are not rivals but co-operation partners,” the Sky News quoted Liu as saying.
“India is today a nation with proven capability to design, develop and produce a long-range ballistic missile. India is a missile power now,” India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief V.K. Saraswat told reporters at the test site after the successful launch.
- India test-fires 5,000 km Agni-V missile, China cautious (Roundup) - Apr 19, 2012
- 5,000-km Agni-V missile propels India into elite club (Afternoon Lead) - Apr 19, 2012
- India tests 5,000-km range Agni-V missile (Lead) - Apr 19, 2012
- PM hails Agni-V milestone - Apr 19, 2012
- India creates history, tests 5,000 km Agni-V missile (Second Lead) - Apr 19, 2012
- 5,000-km Agni-V missile test in February - Nov 16, 2011
- No cap on Agni missile project: India - Apr 20, 2012
- Agni-V can reach targets 8,000 km away: Chinese researcher - Apr 20, 2012
- PM briefed about Agni-V, India's future missile programme - Apr 21, 2012
- Indian missile test makes a splash in Pakistani websites - Apr 19, 2012
- Agni-V missile successfully tested - Apr 19, 2012
- Agni-V can hit targets 8,000 km away, says Chinese expert (Lead) - Apr 20, 2012
- Pakistan test-fires n-capable missile (Second Lead) - Apr 25, 2012
- 'US appreciates India closing missile gap with China' - Apr 24, 2012
- India no rival, says China as daily slams 'missile delusion' (Lead) - Apr 19, 2012
Tags: agni, beijing, chinese foreign ministry spokesman, defence research, development organisation, drdo, elite club, foreign ministry spokesman, liu, missile launch, odisha, powerhouse, range ballistic missile, research and development, rivals, saraswat, sky news, test site, weimin, wheeler island