This Article is From Jun 24, 2016

Deadlock At NSG Over India's Bid, PM Asks For China's Support: 10 Facts

PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Tashkent

Highlights

  • India's entry in nuke club NSG raised on day 1 of Seoul meeting
  • PM Narendra Modi to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tashkent
  • China firmly opposed to India's membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group
New Delhi: A marathon three-hour post-dinner meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in Seoul on Thursday ended in a deadlock over India's membership. The meeting will resume on Friday.

Here are 10 developments in the story:

  1. Top government sources have told NDTV that China remains the main opponent but Brazil, Austria and Ireland also raised questions on how a non-NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) signatory can be admitted to the NSG, which controls access to nuclear technology.

  2. Officials describe these as questions raised over "processes" but said China's opposition was belligerent. "It seems to have ended up as a broad inconclusive discussion. No clear cut conclusions can be reached at this stage," sources said.

  3. China, say sources, spent the day trying to prevent the NSG from even discussing India's membership at all.

  4. Brazil's objections will come as a setback to India since it is a key ally. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, who is in Seoul, met the Brazilian delegation earlier in the day.

  5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a 45-minute meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a multilateral summit in Tashkent, requested a "fair and objective assessment" of India's bid.

  6. PM Modi said New Delhi's case should be judged on its own merits and that China should contribute to an emerging consensus in Seoul.

  7. About 300 participants from 48 member countries are attending the meeting in Seoul.

  8. China has been unrelenting in its opposition, harping on the need to have a criteria for non-NPT countries like India and clubbing India's case with that of Pakistan for which it is batting.

  9. India wants to become a member of the NSG to get better access to low-cost, clean nuclear energy crucial to its economic growth.

  10. The NSG works on unanimity and even one opposing vote can mean the rejection of India's membership.



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