China wants Pakistan in NSG, therefore obstructing India's entry: Defence experts

As China continues to obstruct India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the defence experts on Saturday were of the view that Beijing has set its condition that if New Delhi becomes a member of the body, so should Pakistan.

Defence expert Uday Bhaskar said he was not surprised by China's stance, saying, "The Chinese position on NSG should not come as a surprise to India because Beijing has made it very clear that they are not going to review their position."

"They have set out what they think of their principles, which really means that if India gets into NSG, so should Pakistan," he added,

 

Even defence expert Qamar Agha iterated the same, saying that China wants Pakistan to become a member of the NSG.

"China has been doing this for quite some time for two reasons. They do want India to play a greater role in the body (NSG) which controls nuclear trade. Secondly, they want Pakistan also to become a member of the NSG, for which the international community is not very prepared," Agha told ANI.

Commenting on India as a nuclear power, he said its record in nuclear non-proliferation is clear.

"India's nuclear weapon is controlled by the elected government whereas Pakistan's nuclear weapon is controlled by its military establishment. India has never been involved in any nuclear proliferation besides this. India has also declared that it will not use nuclear weapon against those countries which do not have nuclear weapons. So, by action, deeds, India has proved its credibility," he said.

However, Agha expressed confidence over India becoming a member of the NSG soon because other members of the Security Council are now looking for other means to let New Delhi become a member of it.

China, once again yesterday, said there is no change in its stance on India's admission into the NSG.

The comment on the same was made by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang in the NSG plenary taking place in Bern, Switzerland.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting U.S. on June 25-26 and his discussions with President Donald Trump are likely to find a common approach on matters related to South Asia, particularly the rise in infiltration from the neighbouring Pakistan, terrorism and India's case for a seat at the NSG.