US officially disapproves of Sino-Pak nuclear deal

The United States on Wednesday publicly expressed its disapproval of a proposed Sino-Pakistan nuclear deal under which China would provide two nuclear reactors to Pakistan, reports Anirudh Bhattacharyya.

The United States on Wednesday publicly expressed its disapproval of a proposed Sino-Pakistan nuclear deal under which China would provide two nuclear reactors to Pakistan.

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US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley told reporters in Washington that the proposed deal “appears to extend beyond cooperation that was grandfathered when China was approved for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.”

China has claimed in the past that the deal to supply Pakistan with two new reactors were part of the 1991 Chasma agreement much before China joined the 46-member Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2004.

Crowley indicated that the United States clearly believed otherwise. He said, “We believe that such cooperation would require a specific exemption approved by consensus of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, as was done for India. So we’re not looking at any difference between the two.”

He also said that the US and China had held “periodic discussions” on this issue.