SEOUL, June 24 (INP): The plenary meeting of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) ended with no decision on India’s membership bid as divisions persisted over admitting non-NPT members with China leading the opposition to it.
China’s stand that India’s membership application cannot be considered because it has not signed the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was backed by nearly 10 other countries which effectively torpedoed India’s bid although it had the strong backing of the US, the UK, France and a majority of countries in the nuclear trading group.
Meanwhile, Switzerland also took a U-turn on its stand and joined the group of countries that are opposing India’s entry into the elite nuclear group.
Earlier, the chief Chinese negotiator, Wang Qun continued to vehemently oppose India’s membership of NSG.
Wang, Director General of China’s Department of Arms Control, told reporters that there was no consensus on the NSG membership of non-NPT countries like India.
He insisted that for a country to be a member of NSG, signing of the NPT “is a must”. This rule has not been set by China but by the international community, he added.
Wang warned “if exceptions are allowed here or there on the question of NPT, the international non-proliferation will collapse altogether”.
Asked about reports that Beijing was blocking India’s membership, he said the NSG has so far not agreed to any agenda item on participation of non-NPT countries. Therefore, there was no point of China supporting or opposing India’s membership.
