China Calls India’s Agni-5 Missile Test a Direct Threat to Regional Security
China’s state-run Global Times has sharply criticized India’s latest test of the long-range Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), warning it constitutes a serious threat to regional stability and global nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
According to Global Times, the missile test “poses a direct threat to China’s security” and underscores the need for Beijing to expand its strategic presence in the Indian Ocean to counter India’s growing military capabilities.
The Agni-5 missile, tested from eastern India last Thursday, has an estimated range of over 5,500 km (3,400 miles), bringing major Chinese coastal cities—including Beijing and Shanghai—within striking distance. The New York Times reported the missile traveled around 3,000 miles during the trial, making it India’s most advanced weapon in the Agni series. With the ability to carry a 1.5-ton payload, it is capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, according to Delhi Defence Review.
While India officially claims the missile’s range is around 5,000 km, Chinese military analyst Du Wenlong of the Academy of Military Science argued that New Delhi has “deliberately understated” its true capability to downplay concerns abroad.
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The test comes against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions. Only months earlier, Indian and Chinese troops faced off at the Doklam Plateau, a disputed Himalayan pass near Bhutan. The two countries, which fought a war in 1962, have yet to formally resolve their border disputes.
Meanwhile, India has strengthened military cooperation with regional powers, conducting joint naval exercises with Japan in the Indian Ocean, where China is seeking to expand its economic and naval footprint under the Belt and Road Initiative. Military analyst Song Zhongping told the Global Times that India is “working to build a security alignment with the U.S., Japan, and Australia to keep China in check,” adding that Beijing should respond by boosting its own activities in the Indian Ocean.