China on Thursday slammed the United States for trying to drive a wedge among regional countries in response to remarks by a US official in New Delhi on India’s unsuccessful bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the South China Sea issue.
Reacting to comments in New Delhi by US Undersecretary of State for political affairs, Thomas Shannon, on New Delhi’s effort to join the NSG, which functions on the principle of consensus, Chinese foreign minister spokesperson Hong Lei said: “In the plenary meeting in Seoul, India’s accession was not on the agenda”.
He added that the Seoul conference, instead, discussed “technical, political and legal” issues concerning the accession of countries, which had not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He stressed that the US official in his remarks had not shown “any regard for facts.”
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In reference to the NSG, Mr. Shannon had said in an apparent reference to China's role that, “We understand that in a consensus based organisation, one country can break consensus. But in order to do so it must feel comfortable that it will not be isolated.”
Regarding the South China Sea, Mr. Hong pointed out that China was “strongly dissatisfied” with the assertions by the US official, who had said that Beijing was indulging in “madness” through its behaviour in these waters.
Mr. Hong countered: “The remarks made by the US official tries to drive a wedge between regional countries, confuse right from wrong and are extremely irresponsible.” Instead, he counselled Washington to play a constructive role in the South China Sea.
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