1. We have taken note of the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China on 14
  May in Beijing with regard to the nuclear tests conducted by India on 11 May and 13 May 1998. 

 2. As is well known, India's relations with our neighbours have shown marked improvement in
  recent years. The trend in South Asia is towards greater regional cooperation and economic
  integration. In this context, accusations that India is seeking hegemony in South Asia are baseless,
  unwarranted and only hinder the process of relaxation of tensions and promotion of peace and
  stability through regional cooperation. 

 3. India has legitimate security concerns. India cannot but take into account the offensive nuclear
  weapon and missile capability in our region nor the well documented history of proliferation through
  clandestine acquisition, taking place in our neighbourhood. Assistance from external sources to the
  clandestine nuclear weapons and missile development programme in our immediate neighbourhood
  is well known. All this is itself a clear refutation of the allegation about the Indian tests triggering off a
  nuclear arms race in South Asia. 

 4. China's own record in respect of international opinion in continuing its programme of nuclear tests
  until considered necessary for the purpose of developing its nuclear weapons, is well known. Over a
  period of three decades between 1964 and 1996, China conducted 45 nuclear tests, of which 23
  were atmospheric. On 8 June 1996, while announcing that it would conduct yet another test, China
  stated that "In the world today, there still exist huge nuclear arsenals and the threat of a nuclear war
  caused by the first use of nuclear weapons. Against such a background, for the purpose of the
  supreme interests of the state and the nation, China cannot but conduct the necessary and minimum
  number of nuclear tests. We have all along exercised maximum restraint in conducting nuclear tests
  and the number of tests we have conducted is extremely limited. " It is strange that China is not
  willing to concede the same logic to India that it applies to itself. If China with a large nuclear arsenal
  built with the experience of over 44 tests felt compelled to test again in July 96, for its own security,
  then it should be possible to understand the rationale for India conducting a limited number of tests
  after a 24 year long period of voluntary restraint. 

 5. As has been pointed out in our earlier statements, India has carried out a limited number of tests
  in a planned series. These tests do not pose any threat to any country. India remains committed to
  the total elimination of nuclear weapons in a time-bound framework on a comprehensive, universal
  non-discriminatory and verifiable basis. We are willing to consider being an adherent to some of the
  undertakings of CTBT but this cannot be in a vacuum. We remain open to a dialogue in this regard. 

 6. India and China are two of the world's largest and most populous countries. We see our
  relationship as one in which the two sides would be responsive to dialogue to resolve outstanding
  differences and to the development of friendly, cooperative, good neighbourly and mutually
  beneficial relationship with China, our largest neighbour. 

May 16, 1998
New Delhi