November 23, 2024 07:05 (IST)
China says 'door open' to admit non-NPT nations to NSG
#India, #NSG membership, #US, #China, #Narendra Modi, #Hua Chunying, #Nuke club membership, #Seoul meet
New Delhi, Jun 21 (IBNS): In a recent development, China has said that "door is open" to admit non-NPT (Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty) countries like India to join the elite club of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
The country has also taken a swipe at the United States for "backtracking."
"I have not seen the US statement supporting India. But the US is one of those who made the rule that non-NPT countries should not join the Nuclear Suppliers Group," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, has been quoted as saying by media.
This comes ahead of the plenary session of the 48-nation club in Seoul this week.
China has said that India's inclusion into the NSG was not on the agenda at the Seoul meet.
"According to my understanding, it (entry of new members) is not on the agenda of the NSG meeting in Seoul. The door is open for the admission of the non-NPT members. It is never closed. It is open. But the members of the NSG should stay focused on whether the criteria should be changed and whether non-NPT members should be admitted into the NSG," she added.
Earlier, the United States has called upon members of the NSG to throw their weight behind India for getting membership in the elite club.
"The United States strongly supports India’s application to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group. We believe -- and this has been U.S. policy for some time -- that India is ready for membership," White House Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Monday.
"And the United States calls on participating governments to support India’s application at the plenary later this week," he had said.
Earnest said the participating nations in the plenary session will need to reach a consensus decision in order to admit any applicant into the group. " And the United States will certainly be advocating for India’s membership," he ahad asserted.
He had said the issue was discussed between US President Barrack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the latter visited the White House a couple of weeks ago.
Replying a question whether the US has reached out to the countries who are opposing India's NSG membership, Earnest had said, " Well, I don’t have any conversations to read out at this point. But we’ve made our views known both publicly and privately, and we’ll continue to do so in advance of the meeting this week."
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