The Agni-5 missile was successfully fired in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. Officials said it had "passed all operational and technical parameters."

India announced Wednesday that it had successfully tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile that, once operational, could reach any part of China with a nuclear warhead. The Agni-5 missile was successfully fired in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. Officials said it had "passed all operational and technical parameters."

India and China, the world's two most populous countries, are rivals vying for influence in South Asia. Their relations deteriorated in 2020 following a deadly border clash between the two countries. India is part of the Quad security alliance with the United States, Australia, and Japan, seen as a counterweight to China.

Rapprochement

However, in the face of the global trade and geopolitical turmoil triggered by US President Donald Trump's tariff war, Delhi and Beijing have moved closer. Last October, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time in five years at a summit in Russia.

Narendra Modi is expected to make his first visit to China since 2018 later this month to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security body. Relations between New Delhi and Washington have been strained since President Trump issued an ultimatum to India to stop purchasing Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow. The United States has threatened to double tariffs on imports from India from 25% to 50% if New Delhi does not switch its crude oil supplier by August 27.