Posted on 04/18/2012 10:29:19 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
NEW DELHI (AP) -- India announced Thursday that it had successfully test launched a new nuclear-capable missile that would give it, for the first time, the capability of striking the major Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai.
The government has hailed the Agni-V missile, with a range of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles), as a major boost to its efforts to counter China's regional dominance and become an Asian power in its own right.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
This should raise a few hackles in Beijing.
Seeing it from Beijing's perspective: they've fought two border wars with India already; they've fought a border skirmish with the USSR and the Soviets at least intimated that they were considering going nuclear--even going so far as to ask the U.S. what our reaction might be *if* they were to make a surgical strike on China.
On top of that, the USA still has its arsenal (with, very likely, a fraction of it pointed at China), and still supports Taiwan, South Korea, the Phillippines, and Japan--all of which are traditional enemies of China (at worst) or regard China with suspicion (at best).
Must suck to be a member of the Old World. Like Russia, China has no genuine friends anywhere on its borders. It has enemies in ALL directions.
Awww...ain't that TOO BAD, eh?
Sauron
Umm, China does have friends sharing borders with it. Very complicated nations like North Korea, Pakistan and Myanmar. Two of those nations have nuclear weapons and pretty competent militaries to threaten the likes of India, South Korea and Japan. So it’s not exactly all bad.
China does have friends. They may not be the big players, but like it’s been said, a few of them are nuclear capable.
I will say, it will be interesting to see the next world war NOT happen in Europe.
It will “anger China.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.