India’s Entry Into NSG Not on Agenda at Seoul Plenary Meet: China

China’s remarks come a day after EAM Sushma Swaraj said she was optimistic of China’s support to India’s NSG bid.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) and China’s President Xi Jinping. (Photo: Reuters)

• China said India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was not on the agenda at the plenary meeting of the 48-nation group in Seoul. With this announcement, India’s bid to enter the group suffers a major setback.
  
  
• NSG remains divided over non-NPT countries like India becoming its members, China’s Foreign Ministry said. The statement comes 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.”
  
  
• The main meeting of the NSG Plenary on 24 June will come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Tashkent for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, which is also being attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
  

(With inputs from PTI)