China harps on NPT as P5 members meet to discuss nuclear non-proliferation

China, which has been opposing India's entry into the (NSG), on Wednesday said that there should be no double standards in enforcing the NPT, as five permanent members of the UN Security Council began two-day meeting here to discuss issues related to nuclear disarmament.

China has been opposing India's entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on the ground that India is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) though the other P5 members including US and Russia backed its case based on India's non-proliferation record.

China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States, the permanent members of the UNSC also known as P5 countries are meeting here to discuss issues related nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Answering a question on the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing that the NPT is the cornerstone for the international nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament and important component of post war international security system.

"It has played important role in all the three aspects and China is committed to all three important goals of the treaty," he said.

"We believe that the international community should stick to multilateralism and promote progress the three pillar namely non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

"We believe we should conduct wide consultations and look for practical measures by opposing to double standards in enforcing the treaty," he said without directly referring to China's opposition to India's entry into the NSG which is multilateral export control regime.

"We believe we should enhance its authority and effectiveness, universality and do a better job in preventing nuclear proliferation," he said.

After India applied for NSG membership, Pakistan too applied for the same following which China, a close ally of Islamabad, called for a two-step approach which states that NSG members first need to arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states into the group and then move forward discussions of specific cases.

The NSG is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of guidelines for nuclear and nuclear-related exports.