In an apparent snub to India’s efforts to garner support for its entry into NSG, China has said that inclusion of Non NPT members into the club is not on its list for discussion. According to Hindustan Times, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that entry of such members into the NSG club was never discussed.
India’s membership into the exclusive Nuclear Supplier’s Group was not on the schedule of the 48 member club meeting which is to be held in Seoul due to sharp differences among members. China’s statement came a day after Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj claimed in the parliament that China is not opposed to India’s entry into the club but was talking about procedures.
China’s Foreign Office spokesperson said that there is no consensus within the NSG about the admission of members who have not signed the NPT and consultations are needed to arrive at a decision.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar visited Beijing a few days back to garner support from China for India’s entry into the group. The nation has been vying for entry into the 48 country group and has secured support from most of the countries except a few which includes China.
Resolutions in the NSG are made by consensus, and every member has equal powers to scuttle any decision. The US is solidly behind India and so are Britain, France and Russia.
China is a significant obstacle in the country’s inclusion into the elite group and has argued that it will start an arms race in South Asia and isolate its ally Pakistan.
It wants both the countries to be admitted into the group since both possess nuclear weapons and not signed the NPT.
However Pakistan’s past proliferation record of selling nuclear technology to rogue nations like North Korea, Libya and Iran makes this possibility a little bleak.
