China rejects Pentagon report on nuke deployment against India

From K J M Varma
Beijing, Aug 31 (PTI) Dismissing the recent Pentagon
report that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed
nuclear capable missiles against India as "unfounded" and
"contrary to facts", China on Wednesday said the claims were
made with "ulterior motives".
"Such comments are unfounded. Both China and India have
always been committed to developing strategic cooperative
partnership for peace and prosperity", a Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesperson said in a statement to PTI here.
"For many years, through the joint efforts made by two
sides, China and India border areas have maintained peace and
tranquility on the whole," the spokesperson said when asked to
comment on the Pentagon's report.
The Pentagon report, titled 'Military and Security
Developments Involving the People's Republic of China' had
said China has deployed more advanced and survivable
solid-fuel nuclear capable CSS-5 MRBM missiles against India
as a 'deterrent posture'.
"Such comments are contrary to the fact and have been
made with ulterior motives", the brief communication said
without elaborating. This is the first time that China has reacted to the
specific charge made by Pentagon on August 25 though Beijing
has already protested to US voicing "strong dissatisfaction"
and "firm opposition" to the report as a whole.
Earlier on August 26, Chinese Defence Ministry, without
making any reference to missiles along with Indian border, had
said the Pentagon report does not hold water as it severely
distorted the facts, without making any reference to missiles.
The report had said that PLA has replaced liquid-fuelled,
nuclear-capable CSS-2 IRBMs with more advanced and survivable
solid-fuelled CSS-5 MRBM systems to strengthen its deterrent
posture relative to India.
It also said Beijing is pumping in huge investments on
border infrastructure developments laying more roads and rail
network along the Sino-India border.