India, though not a member, enjoys the benefits of membership under a 2008 exemption to NSG rules for its atomic cooperation deal with the US. (File photo of Kudankulam nuclear plant)
Highlights
- US urged members of NSG to consider and support India's membership
- China earlier said India's membership not on agenda at NSG meet in Seoul
- Chinese media also made a case for Pakistan's inclusion in the nuke group
As the US made a strong pitch for India's inclusion in the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), China today justified its objections and also defended Pakistan's nuclear record, asserting that it deserves the same consideration as India.
Here are 10 developments in the story:
"We did not target any country, India or Pakistan. We only care about the non-proliferation treaty (NPT)," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, reasserting that admitting new members is not on the agenda of 48-nation club as it meets in Seoul.
The Chinese official said "the door is open" for the admission of non-NPT members. "It is never closed. But the members of the NSG should stay focused on whether the criteria should be changed and whether non-NPT members should be admitted into the NSG," she added.
China leads a group of nations opposing India's membership to the NSG, which controls access to nuclear technology. It has also been batting for Pakistan's entry if India is granted any exemption.
In an unusual step, China's state media directly defended Pakistan today saying its former chief nuclear scientist AQ Khan was responsible for its policies in the past and Islamabad had taken action against him.
"While India strives for NSG inclusion, it prevents Pakistan from joining by insisting on the latter's bad record of nuclear proliferation. Actually, it was done by Abdul Qadeer Khan, Pakistan's chief nuclear scientist, and was not an official policy of the Pakistani government," an article in China's state-run Global Times said.
On Monday, the US urged NSG members to consider and support India's membership. "We believe, and this has been US policy for some time, that India is ready for membership and the US calls on participating governments to support India's application," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
Apart from China, countries like Turkey, South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand are also not in favour of India's entry into the NSG.
Government sources say Foreign Secretary S Jaishanker may visit Seoul for a last push for India's bid. He had visited Beijing last week.
Sources say New Delhi has also pinned hopes on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet in Tashkent.
The NSG works on unanimity and even one "no" vote can scuttle India's bid.
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