Agni-V poses direct threat to China's security, say Chinese missile experts to China daily

After India tested the nuclear-capable Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile, Chinese missile experts said it "posed a direct threat to China's security" as well as a "big challenge" towards global efforts of nuclear non-proliferation, China's state-run Global Times quoted the experts as saying.

Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator told the Chinese daily that after the test, Agni would be finalized and "produced in large scale", and will become a "fighting force in the coming years".

Chinese experts expressed scepticism whether the missile could reach the "deepest part" of China. 

The surface-to-surface ballistic missile has a range of around 5,000 kilometres with nuclear warhead capacity of 1.5 tonnes.  The 17-metre-tall missile can reach around 800 kilometres above the earth's surface. 

"Though the missile could theoretically hit Beijing, India's missile technique is far below the standard," Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow in Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times. 

However, Hu warned China should be on the "alert" and "further upgrade its anti-missile techniques", the right-leaning newspaper reported.

"India is trying to build a military system with Australia, Japan and the US in order to keep a closer watch on China, which poses a direct threat to China," Song said, adding that India is developing various kinds of weapons to "compete with China."

China should keep increasing its economic as well as defence capability, Song added.