China defiant, won’t back India’s NSG bid

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 22

India’s hopes of getting into the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) does not seem to be getting fulfilled anytime soon. The NSG will hold its plenary session next month in the Swiss capital of Bern and though India has intensified its efforts to get the membership, chances of it happening are an almost nil.

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The main opposition to India’s entry remains China and today Beijing once again made it clear it hasn’t changed its mind on as far as India’s NSG bid is concerned.

“China’s position on the non-NPT members’ participation in the NSG has not changed,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a media briefing in Beijing.

This was in response to a question about the chances of India getting into the NSG grouping during next month’s Bern session.

“We support the NSG group following the mandate of the 2016 plenary session and following building consensus as well as the intergovernmental process that is open and transparent to deal with the relevant issues in a two-step approach,” Hua said.

In effect, it means China will stick to its proposed two-step formula for non-NPT states to join the NSG. The first step is that a certain set of principles or guidelines will have to be decided upon for non-NPT states to enter the NSG. The second being after the first step is met, specific cases will be discussed.

The problem with the two-step approach is that it tends to put both India and Pakistan, both non-signatories to the NPT and both vying to get into the NSG, into the same category. India had applied for the NSG membership last May and Pakistan followed soon with its application.

Sources in the government point out that India has maintained that India and Pakistan should be treated as separate cases when it comes to consideration for NSG membership.