NEW DELHI: Defending China’s firm opposition to letting India into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), its state-run media on Tuesday described India as “a bit smug” in its dealing with the international community, a result of Delhi being “spoiled” by the West. In a hard hitting editorial, state-run Global Times said that ‘it was rules, not China, that prevented India’s entry’ into the NSG. Last week, China successfully blocked India’s membership of the 48-nation NSG, which controls the trade and transfer of nuclear technology and ensures against proliferation of nuclear arms.
Despite staunch lobbying by the US for India and a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the NSG plenary in Seoul ended without a decision on India’s application, filed in May.
China said membership cannot be granted to India because it has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the crucial global arms pact. It said at least 10 countries, including China, opposed the accession of non-signatories of NPT into the NSG. “India is not a signatory to the NPT, but is the most active applicant to join the NSG. Before the Seoul meeting, the Indian media played up the prospects of its bid. Some even claimed that among the 48 members of the NSG, 47 gave it the green light, except China,” said the Global Times editorial.