China to block India's NSG bid if Pakistan not included

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Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his country’s support to India’s bid for the membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), even as China led five other countries at a meeting of the export control group in Vienna to stall the proposal.

According to sources, China will approve of India’s membership only if Pakistan is also included in the elite group.

Modi, meanwhile, is likely to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on June 23-24, where India and Pakistan are likely to be admitted to the six-member group. China had objected to India’s entry to the SCO as well. However, it had relented once Pakistan’s request to join the group was accepted.

After Thursday’s meeting in Vienna, the NSG Plenary will meet in South Korea to decide on India’s membership on June 20. India had applied to the NSG in May. The NSG membership will allow India to trade in and export nuclear-related technology. In Vienna, the US, Russia and other major countries supported India’s membership bid. But China, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey and Austria opposed the move. The NSG objective is to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons by keeping a check on trade in nuclear material.

It is unlikely that member countries would allow membership to Pakistan, given its poor record. AQ Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, sold nuclear secrets to North Korea and Iran. According to reports, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has phoned some of the countries that support India’s bid to convey Islamabad’s reservations. Reuters reported that US Secretary of State John Kerry has written to member countries “not to block consensus on Indian admission to the NSG”. However, those opposed to India’s entry do not want a non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty signatory to join the NSG. Earlier this week, decks were cleared for India to join the Missile Technology Control Regime.