India not on Seoul agenda: China

Nuclear Suppliers Group remains divided over non-NPT countries like India becoming its members, China’s Foreign Ministry said less than 24 hours after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had exuded hope that “we would be able to convince China to support our entry to the NSG.” 

Even as the 5-day annual NSG Plenary began in the South Korean capital, Chinese Foreign Ministry  Spokesperson Hua Chunying in Beijing said that India’s admission into NSG was not on the agenda. “We understand that non-NPT countries are concerned about their entry into the NSG. But since NSG is still divided about the issue, it is still not mature to talk about the entry issue in the annual conference in Seoul,” she said. 

Beijing’s response came a day after Swaraj at a press conference in New Delhi had said “China is not opposing membership of India in NSG, it is only talking of criteria and procedure. ” Officials in New Delhi sought to downplay the snub with the MEA Spokesperson saying that India remained “optimistic”. The main meeting of the NSG Plenary is on June 24.