Not targetting India or Pak, we care about Non-Proliferation Treaty: China on NSG membership

A day after China said that India’s admission to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is not part of the agenda at the annual plenary in Seoul, it asserted that discussions are on among members over India's entry into the elite club.

"China said that discussions are on among NSG members over admission of India and other non-NPT countries," reported PTI.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "We did not target any country, India or Pakistan. We only care about non-proliferation treaty."

"If the non-proliferation regime is changed how can we explain the Iranian nuclear treaty," she added.

Speaking about the US support to India, Hua said, "US is one of those who made the rule that non-NPT signatories should not join the NSG."

She also added that according to her understanding, admission of new members is not on the agenda of the NSG meeting in Seoul.

Despite Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar visiting Beijing a few days back, China had on Monday said that the inclusion of non-NPT members was never a topic on the agenda of NPT meetings. "In Seoul this year, there is no such topic."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday (June 23) in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent in an attempt to win Beijing's support for India's membership to the NSG.

Meanwhile, China's state media on Tuesday defended Pakistan's nuclear record, saying it was AQ Khan who was responsible for atomic proliferation, which was not backed by the government and argued that any exemption to India for NSG entry should also be given to Pakistan.

India has been vying to join the 48-nation group, and has reportedly secured support from the United States, Russia, Britain, France and other world powers recently.

China, however, stands as an obstacle to India's application, arguing that it would enhance a nuclear competition in South Asia by isolating Pakistan. China wants the NSG to admit Pakistan as well, pointing out that both India and Pakistan possess nuclear weapons and had not signed the NPT.

The NSG is one of the main tools for controlling the exports and proliferation of materials that could potentially be used in making weapons of mass destruction. It also tracks the black market trade of nuclear technologies.