NSG membership: India 'still stuck' in 1962 war mindset, says Chinese media

An op-ed in the Global Times called for a more objective evaluation of Beijing's stand with regards to India's NSG membership bid

Criticising the strong reactions from India over China blocking its bid to enter NSG, a state-run daily today said India is "still stuck" in the 1962 war mindset as it called for a more objective evaluation of Beijing's stand.

"The Indian public seems to be having a hard time accepting the outcome of the Seoul plenary meeting of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) late last month after India failed to gain entry into NSG," an op-ed page article in Global Times said.

"Many Indian media (outlets) put the blame on China alone, accusing China's anti-India and pro-Pakistan motives behind its opposition. Some activists even took to the streets in protest against China and Chinese products and some observers said the incident would freeze the China-India relationship," the article titled 'China, India should drop obsolete view for cooperation' said.

The article asserted that "India's precautions" against China cannot be clearer.

The country seems to be "still stuck" in the shadow of the war with China in the 1960s and many still hold on to the "obsolete geopolitical view" that China does not want to see India's rise, it said.

"However, New Delhi may have misunderstood Beijing, which can make a big difference in its strategic decisions. In fact, China no longer looks at India simply from a political perspective, but far more from an economic one," the article said.

As New Delhi pushed its case to join the NSG last month, the Global Times, part of ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) publications, carried a number of articles including a hard hitting editorial claiming that China's stand is "morally legitimate" and the West has "spoiled" India.

Continuing to justify China's stand to block New Delhi's bid, today's article harped on the often repeated argument of signing the NPT being a must for India to join the NSG and that consensus is required for entry of new members.

"India needs to perceive China objectively. Joining the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is a must for any country seeking NSG membership, but India is not a party to the NPT," the article said.

"The only exception is if India can obtain consent from all 48-NSG members, but several countries apart from China hold reservations in this regard. India better put more efforts into figuring out how to obtain international trust rather than misinterpreting and defaming China," it said.

Quoting Political scientist Zheng Yongnian who stated that that, "China's bilateral relationship with India is second only to the Sino-US relationship," it said ties with China are of great significance to India as well.

"The best option is for China and India to work together to boost their economic and trade ties. Only by seeking common development between China and India can the two build a new international order and form an Asian century," it said.

"The obviously cooperative attitude has wide representation as an increasing number of people now care about economic progress more than anything else and believe that India's rapid economic development can actually help improve its relations with China," it said.

The article said that many regions in China are looking for business opportunities in fast-growing India. Chinese citizens may not realise the full potential of India, but in general they are attaching far more importance to the neighbouring country than ever before.