China: NSG entry can’t be a parting gift from Obama

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 16

China today shrugged off suggestion by the US that it was the ‘outlier’ in India’s bid to get into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). 

The Chinese response came to comments by US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal, who had pointed finger at China for stalling India’s entry into the elite nuclear club. “Clearly there is one outlier that needs to be addressed and that is China,” she had said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in Beijing today: “I just want to point out that NSG membership shall not be some kind of (a) farewell gift (reference to outgoing Obama administration) for countries to give to each other.”

For China, the tricky question is that if India is allowed entry into the NSG, so should other non-NPT states like Pakistan. India has refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on the basis that it is discriminatory in nature but has argued that its clean record in non-proliferation makes it a fit candidate for NSG membership.

China has now taken the stand that first rules need to be put in place that would be applicable to the admission of all non-NPT countries followed by discussions on admitting specific nations. The idea, of course, being that if India gets into the nuclear club, so should Pakistan be allowed in.