Article Posted on : - Feb 11, 2010

The Agni-III missile. A DRDO Photo

NEW DELHI (PTI): India on Thursday said it was closely watching the Chinese military build-up and taking all necessary measures to shape its response, even as it maintained that the 3,500-km range Agni-III ballistic missile was not aimed at any particular country.

“We are carrying out continuous appraisals of its (China’s) military capabilities. At the same time, we are also taking all necessary measures to shape our responses,” Defence Minister A K Antony told an Asian Security Conference organised by Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses here.

He said bilateral relation with China was progressing and that both countries had invested in confidence-building measures aimed at enhancing understanding and trust-building.

“Every nation has to be adequately prepared to safeguard its territorial integrity and sovereignty. We will make all-out efforts to strengthen our security and safeguard our people. However, our defence policy is neither aggressive, nor is it aimed at any particular country,” he said.

“We only seek to build an effective deterrent capability to safeguard ourselves. The recent successful test of Agni-III needs to be seen in this context. It is not aimed against any particular nation,” he said.

The nuclear-tipped Agni-III has all cities in both Pakistan and China, including Beijing, within its striking range and will be India’s second strike deterrent.

The missile was successfully tested on Sunday ahead of its induction into India’s Strategic Forces Command.