India, China have ‘candid, substantive’ talks on NSG

NEW DELHI: China on Tuesday said it is willing to remain engaged with India on the issue of New Delhi’s membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and that

NEW DELHI: China on Tuesday said it is willing to remain engaged with India on the issue of New Delhi’s membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and that it has not yet taken a position on any country-specific membership in the category of the non-NPT (non proliferation treaty) states.

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The two neighbours held a fresh round of arms control consultation in New Delhi where they discussed issues of mutual interest in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation including India’s membership to the NSG, a club of nations that trades in civil nuclear technology.

The consultation was co-chaired by Wang Qun, director-general of arms Control Department of the Chinese foreign ministry, Beijing’s lead negotiator at the Nuclear Suppliers Group and Amandeep Singh Gill, joint secretary for Disarmament and International Security in the external affairs ministry.

India had singled out China, without naming it, for blocking its entry into the NSG, in the last plenary of the group in Seoul in June.

“China has hitherto not yet taken a position on any country-specific membership in the category of the non-NPT states”, a statement issued by the Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday said.