It would appear that China and Pakistan are engaged in saber-rattling against India. The Chinese Government has kick started its military programme to produce jointly ballistic, cruise and anti-aircraft missiles along with Pakistan, it has been reported in a Chinese Communist Party publication. It may be noted that Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa recently visited Beijingand the joint action may have been discussed at that time. People’s Liberation Army spokesman Song Zhongping is reported to have said that joint production with Pakistan will not only cover missiles but extent to other weapons as well. That should ring alarm bells in Delhi. One proposal is the mass production of FC-1 Xiaolong, a light weight and multi role combat aircraft. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has however said that discussions between the Pakistan Army Chief and his Chinese counterpart did not deal with the proposed Chinese and Pakistani joint military programme. What does not need to be said id that Chinese inscrutability is common knowledge.
China has recently criticized India’s development of ballistic missiles. The fourth test of Agni-V has also been attacked by Beijing as a violation of the UN Security Council Resolution. The Sino-Pak missile project may be their tit for tat as the two countries see it. China claims it is keen on maintaining strategic balance in South Asia. India’s bid to manufacture surface to air missiles with Israeli collaboration may be another excuse. Such tension buries holes of stability and economic collaboration in the region.
