China U-Turns on India's Admission to Nuclear Group

In a major policy shift China has agreed that the NSG membership is open for those new members who haven’t signed the NPT.

A sudden change in the Chinese stand is likely to pave the way for India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

“The door is open for the admission of the non-NPT members. It is never closed. It is open. But the members of the NSG should stay focused on whether the criteria should be changed and whether non-NPT members should be admitted into the NSG,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Tuesday.

Hua Chunying also said that India was not being specifically targeted. We did not target any country, India or Pakistan. 

This shift in China’s stance regarding NSG membership can be seen as a diplomatic victory by India. India has been trying hard to convince China as Chinese opposition has made things tougher. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar visited China last week and held discussions with the Chinese leadership.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday on the sidelines of the SCO Summit for a last-minute push for NSG membership.

Foreign Secretary Jaishankar is likely to visit Seoul for diplomatic maneuverings just ahead of the NSG plenary meeting.

The Indian government is leaving no stone unearthed to get the membership of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group and if India gets into the club it will definitely be a diplomatic victory.