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China Questions Indian Membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group

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China Questions Indian Membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Monday, July 18, 2011

China is believed to have pressed for allowing nations other than India to seek membership in an elite group of atomic exporter nations, the Indian Express reported on Saturday

New Delhi is seeking entry into four export control regimes, including the 46-member Nuclear Suppliers Group, which seeks to limit atomic material and technology exports to nations that allow full-scope monitoring of nuclear operations by the International Atomic Energy Agency. That list would not include nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, though New Delhi in 2008 received an exemption from the guideline.

Beijing's objection appears aimed to promoting Pakistan as a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, according to the Indian Express. Islamabad has protested the 2008 waiver given to India and is also reportedly hoping to join the four nonproliferation regimes.

During a meeting last month in the Netherlands, there was a significant degree of worry by some NSG member states on allowing India to join the export control body due to the nation's continued refusal to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Some nations even prodded fellow members the United States, United Kingdom and France to reconsider their support for Indian membership in light of the potential harm to global arms control efforts, according to the newspaper.

Beijing pursued a different approach, requesting that the membership consideration be expanded beyond India. The move is to a certain degree in line with China's previous support for offering trade exemptions based on a select formula rather than for particular nations

Meanwhile, New Delhi and Islamabad on Monday held discussions on new trust-promoting steps, signaling that a string of terrorist bombings last week in the Indian city of Mumbai had not derailed the two states' recently renewed peace talks.

Ahead of a high-profile meeting scheduled for next week between the two nations' foreign policy chiefs, lower-ranking diplomats discussed present cross-Line of Control commerce in the disputed Kashmir region and potential avenues for enhancing that trade.

"During the meeting, both sides reviewed the existing cross-LoC travel and trade arrangements to ensure their effective implementation and exchanged views on additional measures to facilitate cross-LoC travel and trade," an Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman said.

The expert-level talks were described as "cordial."

Monday's trade talks fell within the India-Pakistan composite dialogue, which seeks to simultaneously address such contentious issues as Kashmir, natural resource rights, terrorism and nuclear weapons

Though bilateral talks were also expected before next week's minister-level meeting on nuclear and conventional weapon trust-promoting actions, such discussions are now not expected to take place.The Indo-Asian News Service, however, reported on Saturday that talks on nuclear confidence-promoting steps were anticipated to take place before long.

NTI: Global Security Newswire - China Questions Indian Membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group
 
The NSG has already tightened its guidelines, to cut out non-NPT signatories.

So what is the point?
 

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