India hopes Chinese entities do not engage in activities contributing to proliferation

India on Thursday said it has conveyed its concerns to China after seizure of an item having military applications from a Chinese ship which was detained by Indian authorities at Gujarat's Kandla port last month.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India expects China to take appropriate measures to ensure that the Chinese entities do not engage in activities that can contribute to proliferation.

According to military officials, the autoclave seized from 'Da Cui Yan', the Hong Kong flagged ship bound for Karachi, can be used for launching ballistic missiles.

Kumar said examination of the item revealed that it is an autoclave whose use is controlled under India's dual use export control lists and that it was seized by authorities as per legal procedure.

"We have conveyed our concerns on this issue to the Chinese side and have highlighted that as a friendly country the Chinese government will take appropriate measures to ensure that the Chinese entities do not engage in activities that can contribute to proliferation," he said at a press briefing.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the autoclave seized from the ship is a heat treatment furnace shell system and not a dual-use item under the non-proliferation and export control.

The dual-use products or items have both civilian and military use. The items put under restricted list are used on missiles and nuclear weapons.

The MEA spokesperson said it has been ascertained that the item has military applications.

He said Indian authorities had detained the vessel when it berthed in Kandla Port in early February as it had "mis-declared" the item.

"Our examination has revealed that the item is an autoclave that is controlled under our Dual Use Export Control lists. Therefore the item has been seized by our authorities as per our legal procedure," Kumar said.