China still says no to India's NSG membership

China said on Friday there was no change in its stance on the admission of Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) states into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), marring India's chances of entering the elite club during its crucial meeting in Bern. “As for non-NPT countries being admitted to the group, I can tell you there is no change to China's position,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.

China reaffirmed today that there is no change in its stance on the admission of non-NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) states into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), marring India’s chances of entering the club during its crucial meeting in Bern.

“As for non-NPT counties being admitted to the group, I can tell you there is no change to China’s position,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a media briefing. He was replying to a question on whether there is any change in China’s stand at the plenary meeting currently taking place in the Swiss capital, Bern.

“I want to point out that the NSG has clear rules on admission of new members and the Seoul plenary made clear mandates on how to deal with this issue. With these rules and mandates, we need to act as they dictate,” he said.

“As for the criteria regarding admitting new members, this plenary meeting in Switzerland will follow the mandate of the Seoul plenary and uphold the principle of decision upon consensus and continue to discuss various dimensions like technology, law, legal and political aspects of non-NPT countries admission the group,” he said.

China’s repeated stonewalling of India’s membership bid in the NSG has become a stumbling block in bilateral relations.

After India’s application for entry into the 48-member elite group which controls the nuclear trade, Pakistan, the allweather ally of China, too had applied with the tacit backing of Beijing. While India, backed by the US and a number of Western countries, has garnered the support of a majority of the group’s members, China has stuck to the stand that new members should sign the Nuclear NPT, making India’s entry difficult as the group is guided by the consensus principle.