China indicates readiness to negotiate and find solution to India's NSG membership bid

New Delhi: There has been an apparent climbdown by China from its position on India's membership bid for the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Chinese Ambassador to India Liu Jinsong has indicated that his country was ready to negotiate and resolve the deadlock.

The remarks came after India last month clearly stated without naming China that one country had persistently blocked India's efforts to gain membership of the NSG.

Liu told The Indian Express newspaper in an interview that as India had not named any country, he would not “rush to pick up the hat”.

“How do you decide that this country is China?” he asked.

“This (NSG) topic has been very hot last month, now it has cooled down a little bit. I don’t want to talk too much about it and heat it up again. I want to leave time and room for the diplomats to work out a solution,” he told the newspaper.

 

He described China's position on India's NSG membership bid as three-point approach: “Abiding by the rules, leaving the room and space (for negotiations) and finding the route (solution).”

While welcoming India's entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Liu denied there was a scope for quid pro quo between Chinese membership of the MTCR and India’s entry into the NSG.

Liu, who is the acting Chinese ambassador, also touched upon the South China Sea issue and said Beijing had no intention to impede trade routes there.

China, like India, is a “peace-loving country”, he stated, asking New Delhi not to be concerned about the Asian giant's capacity-building in national defence.

He said whatever infrastructure China was building in Spratly Islands of the South China Sea were aimed at providing public service to the international community.

“China is committed to safeguarding freedom of navigation in South China Sea… and actually, the purpose of building some facilities in some islands in SCS is to provide public good for the international community, like lighthouses, weather stations and other kinds of civilian facilities.

“China, like India is also a peace-loving country which sticks to international law and order and good neighbourliness. India has no reason to worry about its capacity-building in its national defence,” the Chinese envoy said.

Liu further denied that China had blocked the UN designation of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar as a terrorist.

It is “not a political hold”, he said, while asking India to hold “friendly consultations” with Pakistan, without naming the South Asian country.

“China, India, Pakistan are all victims of terrorist activities… there is no such thing as China blocking. (In this case) third party needs to be consulted. It is not a political hold, but a technical hold. Only a hold, not blocking.

“I don’t know much about this person Masood… but as per rules of 1267 committee, another country, the country of origin of Masood, needs to be consulted. If you and that country can have friendly consultations and reach a mutually acceptable result, then China will be glad to go along with results,” he said.