China's unrelenting insistence on non-proliferation treaty as the benchmark for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group has thrown the gauntlet before the US over non-proliferation norms, offering hope that the tussle for global leadership will ensure US does not let India's case fall to the wayside at the Seoul meeting of the nuclear trading bloc.
China's implacable opposition to India's NSG application is also driving many countries to look for compromise solutions, some of which India fears could delay its accession by years. But this has prompted India to look for a clean accession agreement keeping its legal commitments, non-proliferation record and energy demand in mind.
"Within the group of the NSG, members have different opinions regarding whether or not non-NPT countries can join," the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said. "Therefore we are now talking about non-NPT members joining NSG as a whole instead of specific non-NPT nations' accession."
China's deliberate clubbing of non-NPT nations like Pakistan with India heightens the challenge for the US as Beijing signals its determination to determine strategic equations in its neighbourhood, the Asia-Pacific and even beyond. The US leadership on non-proliferation ensured India got a waiver from NSG in 2008 to engage in nuclear commerce, but China challenged that openly in 2016.
By pushing Pakistan's case upfront, China is preventing a consensus in India's favour and US might consider where Islamabad's interests -in confluence with China -be allowed to prevail.
No comments:
Write comments