India commissioned INS Arighat (S-3), a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). This 6,000-ton vessel, equipped with K-15 nuclear ballistic missiles boasting a range of 750 km, marks a significant step in India’s maritime capabilities. Its deployment underscores India’s intention to bolster its long-range patrols across the Indo-Pacific region.
The Chinese government, known for its expansionist policies and hostile attitude towards neighbours over territorial sovereignty, is virtue-signalling India over the ‘responsible use’ of its military arsenal.
The addition of the INS Arighat to India’s naval fleet not only enhances its deterrence capabilities but also strategically positions India amid growing regional tensions. The Global Times notes that with two such submarines now in operation, India can exert considerable strategic leverage.
This development serves as a countermeasure to any naval power attempting to assert dominance in the Indo-Pacific, a region where India’s geographical positioning places it at a pivotal juncture. Chinese experts have advised India to wield this growing nuclear capability responsibly, suggesting that such power should be leveraged to uphold peace and stability rather than to project military strength.
In light of this development, Chinese experts have expressed concerns regarding India’s expanding nuclear capabilities. They emphasized that India should use its new military power responsibly and contribute to regional peace and stability, rather than using it to assert dominance. The commissioning of INS Arighat, alongside the existing INS Arihant, positions India as a formidable nuclear power in the Indo-Pacific region, which has prompted these calls for responsible use.
A rattled ‘Global Times’ in a malicious article thus cited experts from its home country to lecture India on refraining from using its military tech to ‘flex muscles.’
“Chinese experts said that India should wield this power responsibly and contribute to peace and stability, rather than use it to flex muscles,” it brazened out.
In the laughable Chinese propaganda news outlet, it cited an anonymous Beijing-based military expert to claim that India should use its nuclear deterrence force responsibly.
Read- Why The K-4 SLBM Is A Crucial Element In India’s ‘Credible Minimum Deterrence‘ Policy
Interestingly, China has 6 Jin-class ballistic missile submarines that are equipped with advanced JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). The United States has previously raised alarms over its capability to target the North American nation, reported OpIndia.
JL-3 reportedly has a range of more than 10,000 km and can deliver multiple nuclear warheads. Virtue-signalling from Chinese state actors is thus rich, given that the Communist-ruled nation is at loggerheads with countries in the South China Sea and the Indian subcontinent.
China claims large parts of Laos and Cambodia on historical precedent that dates back to the 13th and 14th Century. On certain occasions, it has also claimed the entirety of South Korea and North Korea on historical precedent.
China also claims all of Mongolia and Taiwan as well, although the two countries do not consider themselves part of China at all. There are several other countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan who ceded territory to China to resolve their border dispute.
Among the major countries to cede territory was Russia. Even after that, border disputes of China with these countries continue.
The prominent countries with whom China is involved in severe disputes apart from India are Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Japan. Recently, China’s bullying has exacerbated to war like levels with the Philippines, with Chinese Naval and Coast Guard vessels taunting and torment Filipino boats.
China has claimed parts of Nepal for itself on the basis of the Sino-Nepalese War in the late 18th Century. China insists that parts of Nepal belong to Tibet and hence, a part of China.
Despite such a deplorable track record of using its military might to intimidate its neighbours, the Chinese government is using its media propaganda arm to virtue-signal India on acting responsibly.
Agencies
