No Decision on India’s NSG Membership: Seoul Plenary Ends

The plenary meeting of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) concluded on Friday in Seoul. All the 48-members ended with no decision on membership bid by India.

The opposition was led by China on the grounds that application by India could not be considered due to the fact that India has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Supported by almost ten other countries, the discussion effectively ruined India’s bid despite of its strong support by the UK, France, US and a majority of nuclear trading countries.

Director General of arms control department of China and Chief Chinese negotiator Wang Qun, spoke to reporters no consensus was made amid the 48-member countries, regarding the allowing a new entry. He asserted that if a country needs to be an NSG member, it must sing the NPT; a rule established by international community.

Wang further cautioned if exceptions were allowed here or there on the question of NPT, that would collapse the international non-proliferation altogether.

Inquired regarding reports about Beijing involvement in blocking membership of India, he explained that the NSG had not made any consensus regarding participation of non-NPT countries. Hence, there was no point of China’s support or opposition regarding membership of India.

The stance clearly reveals that Xi Jinping, Chinese President had not replied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arguments on Thursday in Tashkent.

In order to get China’s support in favor of India’s membership, Modi had persuaded Xi to make an “objective and fair” valuation of India’s application which was put forward prior to the Seoul plenary as the 2 leaders encountered on the spinoffs of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.

Brazil and Canada were also among the countries which supported India. The South American country was of the view India got a better record of nuclear proliferation as compared to Pakistan, the second non-NPT country requesting membership of NSG. Therefore, it called for a common criteria of non-NPT countries.

For its fragment, the NSG stated it discussed the issue of “political, legal and technical features of involvement of non-NPT countries”. However, no conclusive decision was made yet. The group said that discussions are set to continue.