Chinese media tells India to cool its 'missile fever'

China's state-owned media has warned New Delhi against its continued lust for long-range nuclear missiles, hinting that Beijing would help Pakistan achieve similar capabilities if the West continues to be indifferent to the India-Pakistan nuclear race.

In an editorial published Tuesday in its Chinese as well as its English edition, the state-owned Global Times warned that China would not stick rigidly to rules set out by the United Nations if the West and India do not do so either.

"If the Western countries accept India as a nuclear country and are indifferent to the nuclear race between India and Pakistan, China will not stand out and stick rigidly to those nuclear rules as necessary. At this time, Pakistan should have those privileges in nuclear development that India has," said the newspaper, which is owned by China's official state-run People's Daily newspaper.

The editorial said China was sincere in developing friendly ties with India, but that the country would "not sit still if India goes too far".

"New Delhi understands that it does little good to itself if the Sino-Indian relations are ruined by any geopolitical tricks. In general, it is not difficult for India to produce intercontinental ballistic missiles which can cover the whole world.

"If the UN Security Council has no objection over this, let it be. The range of Pakistan's nuclear missiles will also see an increase. If the world can adapt to these, China should too," it said.

The editorial comes days after India successfully tested its long-range ballistic missile, Agni-IV, capable of traveling 4,000 kilometers and carrying nuclear warheads, following an earlier successful test-firing of the 5,000-km-range Agni-V missile.

Issues covered in editorials by the Global Times, which focuses on international issues and was the first daily newspaper from China to launch a US edition, are often taken as indicators of shifts in foreign or domestic policy by the Chinese government.