Days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that India has noticed a ?certain amount of assertiveness? by China, Defence Minister AK Antony has voiced concern over the increasing military ?nexus? between China and Pakistan.
In a strongly worded statement, the defence minister has said that while India is keeping a constant eye on Chinese military capabilities, the military ?nexus? the country has forged with Pakistan is a matter of concern.
?The increasing nexus between China and Pakistan in the military sphere remains an area of serious concern. We have to carry out continuous appraisals of Chinese military capabilities and shape our responses accordingly,? Antony said in his address on the foundation day celebrations of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.
The statement comes weeks after Pakistan inked one of its biggest defence deals with China in recent times to acquire 36 fighter jets. Earlier this month, Islamabad signed an estimated $1.4 billion deal to buy 36 Chinese J 10 fighters. The deal is expected to grow exponentially if Pakistan chooses to exercise an option to purchase 150 of the advanced fighters.
While reiterating that New Delhi wants a peaceful relationship with China, Antony cautioned that India needs to remain vigilant and look out for military upgrades by Beijing. ?We are hopeful that China will reciprocate the initiatives aimed at mutual trust-building and understanding. At the same time, we need to be vigilant at all times,? he said.
On Pakistan, the minister said that while India is willing to resume the bilateral dialogue, the terror infrastructure in the country remains intact and is ?actually thriving?. ?Pakistan is yet to demonstrate any will to take speedy action against terrorists and international criminals,? he said.
Military experts in New Delhi have been articulating concerns about the increasing intimacies between China and Pakistan in the defence sphere. In the past few years, China has emerged as the biggest supplier of arms to
Pakistan and the two countries are also involved in several ?co-development? projects to manufacture military hardware.
The largest ongoing project is the JF 17 fighter aircraft that is currently being manufactured in Pakistan. The fighter, which will soon be the mainstay fighter of the Pakistan Air Force, was developed with Chinese help and will enter service early next year.
Besides receiving Beijing?s help in developing several missile systems, Pakistan?s main battle tank, the Al Khalid, owes its origin to China and the country has also recently purchased Chinese Anti Submarine Warfare helicopters. Pakistan also received the first of its four ordered Chinese F 22P frigates in July this year.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute database which tracks arms transfers between nations, Pakistan has received close to 90 combat aircraft, 80 main battle tanks and more than 15,000 missiles from China since 2001.
