India ahead of China in maritime deterrent: Expert

Though China pursued a minimum nuclear deterrence and its nuclear posture was restrained, it had the potential of developing advance Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), said Lora Saalman, Associate, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy in Beijing, here on Saturday.

“Both China and India have deterrence relations not based on the number of nuclear weapons, but India achieved maritime nuclear deterrence and not China,” she told Express.

Lora Saalman, was in the city to take part in a panel discussion organised by US Consulate General, said, “China does not have a ‘nuclear doctrine’ but it has only ‘nuclear posture’. Though it has been said that the nuclear posture is restricted, China has the potential of developing advanced BMD system to counter other countries.”

She pointed out that since, India had achieved maritime deterrence, China realised India’s control over the Indian Ocean. It suspected that India might attack China in 2017 through advanced conventional defence capabilities. “Though the attack is a presumption of China, it becomes a necessity for China to take pre-emptive measures to ensure its nuclear deterrence security.”