{"id":937205,"date":"2021-10-29T12:29:08","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T16:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=937205"},"modified":"2021-10-29T12:29:11","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T16:29:11","slug":"india-test-launches-nuclear-capable-missile-amid-tensions-with-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/india-test-launches-nuclear-capable-missile-amid-tensions-with-china\/","title":{"rendered":"India Test-Launches Nuclear-Capable Missile amid Tensions with China"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Findia-test-launches-nuclear-capable-missile-amid-tensions-with-china%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=937205&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\"><span>India on Wednesday conducted a test launch of its Agni-5 missile, a nuclear-capable weapon whose 3,125-mile range is sufficient to hit any potential target in China. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>According to the Indian government, the test missile landed with a \u201cvery high degree of accuracy\u201d in the Bay of Bengal.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>Indian officials <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/india-test-fires-nuclear-capable-missile-amid-tensions-with-china-12453063\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span> the test was conducted as part of India\u2019s policy to maintain \u201ccredible minimum deterrence\u201d and restated India\u2019s commitment to avoid using first-strike tactics.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A spokesperson for the Indian Defense Ministry said the Agni-5 is \u201ccapable of neutralizing targets threatening India\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Virtually all outside observers read the missile test as a response to China\u2019s recent actions, particularly last week\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2021\/10\/17\/china-stuns-u-s-intelligence-hypersonic-missile-test\/\"><span>report<\/span><\/a><span> that Beijing tested a surprisingly advanced hypersonic missile in August and\/or China\u2019s failure to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/news\/china-india-lash-out-after-no-progress-in-himalayan-border-talks\/\"><span>resolve<\/span><\/a><span> its border dispute with India, which <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2020\/07\/30\/report-india-add-35000-troops-chinese-border-after-disengagement\/\"><span>began<\/span><\/a><span> a year and a half ago with a brutal hand-to-hand skirmish in the Himalayan valley of Galwan.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_14134447\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"40\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1221084138.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14134447\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1221084138.jpg\" alt=\"GAGANGIR, KASHMIR, INDIA - JUNE 19: An Indian army convoy drives towards Leh, on a highway bordering China, on June 19, 2020 in Gagangir, India. As many as 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a &quot;violent face-off&quot; with Chinese troops on Tuesday in the Galwan Valley along the Himalayas. Chinese and Indian troops attacked each other with batons and rocks. This is the deadliest clash since the 1962 India-China war and both have not exchanged gunfire at the border since 1967. Since the recent clash, there has been no sign of a breakthrough. India said its soldiers were killed by Chinese troops when top commanders had agreed to defuse tensions on the Line of Actual Control, the disputed border between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. China rejected the allegations. It blamed Indian soldiers for provoking the conflict, which took place at the freezing height of 14,000 feet. The killing of soldiers has led to a call for boycott of Chinese goods in India. On Thursday, thousands of people attended the funerals of the 20 slain Indian soldiers. To show their anger, Indians burnt Chinese flags and posters of China&#039;s President Xi Jinping in many states. (Photo by Yawar Nazir\/Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Indian army convoy drives towards Leh, on a highway bordering China, on June 19, 2020, in Gagangir, India, following the \u201cviolent face-off\u201d with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley along the Himalayas. (Yawar Nazir\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>An editorial at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/opinion\/chinas-hypersonic-missile-test-won-t-go-unanswered-101635409245503.html\"><i><span>Hindustan Times<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span>on Thursday linked India\u2019s missile test to China\u2019s hypersonic missile launch, portraying the Agni-5 as a component of New Delhi\u2019s response to China\u2019s \u201cSputnik moment\u201d \u2013 a phrase employed by U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/prime\/economy-and-policy\/chinas-hypersonic-missile-test-may-be-targeted-at-the-us-and-the-west-but-india-should-be-worried-\/primearticleshow\/87287646.cms\"><i><span>Economic Times<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span>of India also thought India \u201cshould be worried\u201d about China\u2019s hypersonic weapon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/asia.nikkei.com\/Politics\/India-tests-5-000-km-range-nuclear-capable-ballistic-missile\"><i><span>Nikkei Asia<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span>noted the Agni series of missiles was \u201cconceptualized in the 1980s with threats from neighboring Pakistan and China in mind,\u201d and the Agni-5 has previously been tested successfully, so Wednesday evening\u2019s test launch was probably intended to send a message to Beijing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/10\/28\/india-nuclear-capable-missile-border-tensions-china\"><span>Al Jazeera<\/span><\/a><span> pointed out that India already has the capability to strike targets anywhere in Pakistan with smaller missiles, so the intended audience for the Agni-5 launch was most likely in China. Al Jazeera added China\u2019s growing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/research\/chinas-indian-ocean-ambitions\/\"><span>assertiveness<\/span><\/a><span> in the Indian Ocean as another reason why India might want to demonstrate its missile capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Around the same time it was conducting its missile test, India <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/india-slams-new-chinese-land-border-law\/6288859.html\"><span>expressed concerns<\/span><\/a><span> about a combative \u201cland borders law\u201d passed by China\u2019s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People\u2019s Congress, on Saturday.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>The law is essentially a formal threat by China to use military force against any party that \u201cundermines territorial sovereignty and land boundaries.\u201d Chinese political and military leaders say such things all the time, but it is unusual for the National People\u2019s Congress to codify the threats in law.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15226947\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"38\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/china-military-covid-virus-ccp-getty.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15226947\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/china-military-covid-virus-ccp-getty.jpg\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chinese soldiers from the People\u2019s Liberation Army wear protective masks as they march after a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of China\u2019s entry into the Korean War, on October 23, 2020, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. (Kevin Frayer\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>The legislation was clearly aimed at intimidating India, as the only other neighbor currently locked in a heated border dispute with China is tiny Bhutan. China has disputed Bhutan\u2019s claims to about 200 square miles along the border since the 1980s. The Bhutanese were annoyed to discover Chinese villages <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2021\/05\/07\/china-bhutan-border-villages-security-forces\/\"><span>sprouting<\/span><\/a><span> on the turf claimed by Bhutan in 2015.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Chinese were trying to do much the same thing to India in the Himalayas last year when the infamous Galwan Valley brawl broke out. Indian officials are worried that China will invoke the new \u201cland borders law\u201d to declare itself legally obligated to fight over every bit of Himalayan territory China has claimed with boot, stick, or brick.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cChina\u2019s unilateral decision to bring about a legislation which can have implications on our existing bilateral arrangements on border management as well as on the boundary question is of concern to us,\u201d the Indian Foreign Ministry said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cMultiple rounds of talks, whether it is at the diplomatic or military level between the two countries have made virtually no progress in overcoming the impasse. The new law indicates a hardening of position, it aims to show that China is powerful,\u201d cautioned Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, director of New Delhi\u2019s Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India on Wednesday conducted a test launch of its Agni-5 missile, a nuclear-capable weapon whose 3,125-mile range is sufficient to hit any potential target in China. According to the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-937205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=937205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=937205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=937205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=937205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}