Notwithstanding a U.S. push for India’s NSG membership, China said on Sunday that members of the elite club “remain divided” on the issue of non-NPT countries joining it.
“There was no deliberation on any item related to the accession to the NSG by India or other countries that are not signatories to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said, referring to the Vienna meet last week.
He said Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Chair Argentine Ambassador Rafael Mariano Grossi convened an unofficial meeting of the 48-member group on June 9.
“The Chair said that this meeting has no agenda and is only convened to heed opinions from all parties on the outreach of the NSG and prepare for a report to be submitted at the NSG Plenary Meeting in Seoul later this month [June 24],” he said.
However, sources in Vienna said earlier that India’s membership was discussed at the meeting and talks had remained inconclusive.
China has maintained that non-NPT signatories should not be admitted into NSG on the grounds that it would undermine efforts to prevent proliferation. — PTI
