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NEW DELHI: China is ready to assist India in developing civil nuclear energy declared Chinese Deputy Ambassador to India Liu Jinsong while speaking at a closed door meet of the National Defence College less than 48 hours after Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj blamed Beijing for blocking DELHI's membership in the coveted Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Less than a month after Beijing blocked India's membership in NSG Liu, in an attempt to build confidence, stated, "Chinese enterprises, provinces and cities are actively participating in development programs like "Make in India", "Smart Cities", "Skill India" and "Swachh Bharat", and we are ready to assist India in developing civil nuclear energy." The lecture titled -- 'China's Security and Diplomatic Doctrine In a Globalised Era' - was delivered at NDC on Thursday within a day of Swaraj's remarks in Parliament on China's obstructionist role in NSG.
The statement by the Chinese diplomat however is not any indication whether China will alter its position at the extraordinary meeting of NSG in November in Vienna that will discuss India's membership.
Beijing had earlier put forward civil nuclear cooperation proposal in 2014 when President Xi Jinping visited India but the idea did not make headway. It is understood that Delhi is not confident of the quality of China's nuclear technology which has been adopted from advanced Western countries.
"I am saying it today on the floor of the house that China introduced procedural hurdles, the main being on whether a non-NPT state can have NSG status... It is true that this was the reason for the non-decision on India's application," Swaraj said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. She was replying to a question raised by Sugata Bose of the TMC.
New Delhi had till then not named China and had maintained that a "single country" had blocked its bid to become a member of the NSG at its Seoul meeting. Swaraj however, said that it did not mean that the NSG doors were closed to India forever and added that the government is engaging with China to iron out differences.
Trying to reach out to the audience that comprised top military officials Liu also focused on the some of strategic issues. "...China do not play other countries against each, nor do we permit other countries to play the China card," claimed the top diplomat without any reference to Pakistan. In reality though Islamabad has more often than not played China card against India. Nepal too has played the China card from time to time vis-a-vis Delhi.
Liu in fact claimed that China has never thought of containing or balancing India, and there is no such thing as the "Pearl String Strategy" whatsoever. "Nor does China believe that India will allow itself to be used as a chess piece to contain China," he suggested without any direct reference to growing Indo-US strategic ties. Some Chinese commentators have claimed that US is wooing India to hedge Chinese ambitions in the region.
Referring to the recent Hague verdict that has dismissed China's historical claims in South China Sea region Liu tried to assuage Delhi's concerns. "The freedom of navigation and overflight and other rights enjoyed by India in the South China Sea have will be fully guaranteed, both now and in future." He in fact went to claim that India is not a threat to China but rather a strategic partner.
Seeking India's endorsement for 'One Belt One Road' strategy, Liu sought expansion of trade and investment partnership. "Our cooperation in both hardware and software and the interplay of the dragon and the elephant has changed the world and will continue to do so."
