India's NSG bid China still stiff on its stand

China's remarks came as the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) at its meeting in Vienna on November 11 discussed a formula acting on India's application to join it. "We maintain that we should follow two-step approach. First we should find out a solution that is applicable to all non-NPT members applications to the NSG through consultations and discussions," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing outlining China's stand at the Vienna meeting.

The second step is to discuss specific non-NPT (Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty) members' admission into the NSG, he said. "We believe that the solution should be non-discriminatory and applicable to all non-NPT members and it must not damage the core value of the NSG as well as the authority, effectiveness and integrity of the NPT," he said.

China's stand for non-discriminatory criteria is regarded significant as Pakistan, a close ally of Beijing too has applied for the NSG membership along with India.  China, which has blocked earlier India's entry on the ground that India has not signed the NPT, has held two rounds of talks with India and Pakistan about their admission into the group.

India has secured the backing of the US and majority of the NSG members based on its non-proliferation record in comparison to Pakistan which faced serious allegations of nuclear proliferation in the past.