#NewDelhi : China has said that India’s admission to the elite Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) is not on the agenda of the grouping that started a plenary session in Seoul today.
The statement is being seen as a rebuff to India’s effort to join the NSG, especially a day after Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj expressed optimism and said Beijing is only talking of “procedure”.
Top government sources said: “India sees this as a procedural block by China. We remain optimistic but never expected this to be easy. Outcomes are always uncertain.”
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday: “The inclusion of non-NPT members has never been a topic on the agenda of NSG meetings. In Seoul this year, there is no such topic.”
She said opinion within the member countries is divided on including not just India but all countries that are not signatories to the NPT or Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Asked about Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar’s quiet visit to Beijing last week, the spokesperson said India pitched for its inclusion in the NSG and the two sides exchanged ideas about it.
Yesterday, Sushma Swaraj had played down Beijing’s opposition and said: “We hope to become a member of the NSG by year-end. China doesn’t oppose India’s membership, China is speaking about procedure.”
“Sushma Swaraj was trying to reach out to China yesterday,” said sources.
India says 21 of 23 nations back its bid. The NSG works on unanimity and even one “no” vote can scuttle India’s bid.
The US has strongly backed India’s bid and so have Britain, Russia and Switzerland.
New Delhi already enjoys most of the benefits of NSG membership under a 2008 exemption to the NSG rules to clear the decks for nuclear deal with Washington, even though India has developed atomic weapons and never signed the NPT. By Agencies,
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