India going all-out to enter NSG

As the clock is ticking towards the crucial plenary session of the Nuclear Supplier's Group in Seoul, India is making an all-out push to find a place in the elite 48-member group. While on the one hand US has been leading the support for India's membership, China's has led the opposition against India's bid. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, team India has launched a diplomatic blitzkrieg to win over the

opposing countries and gain entry to the elite group that is crucial to fulfil its future energy requirements. Prime Minister Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tashkent on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

This meeting of the two leaders coinciding with the crucial ongoing plenary session of the NSG in Seoul could hold the key to Chinese approval for the consensus at Seoul.

Earlier, India's NSG bid got momentum with Prime Minister Modi's recent 5 nation tour where he brought Switzerland and Mexico on board.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj categorically saying that China is not opposed to India's NSG entry, it merely needs to be convinced in its favour.

After a visit to Beijing, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has left for Seoul, ahead of NSG Plenary from tomorrow, to shore up India's efforts for membership.

China articulates its opposition to India on the basis of India's Non-NPT status. By pushing Pakistan's case upfront, China is preventing a consensus in India's favour. 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has asked the 48-member NSG to stay focussed on whether the criteria should be changed on entry of non-NPT countries into the elite group. 

China has been opposed to India's entry into the club on the ground that it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT.

In September 2008, the NSG granted India a "clean waiver" from its existing rules, which forbid nuclear trade with a country which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Full membership will enable India to be in the mainstream of Global nuclear trade. It will give India complete access to state of the art technology, help India to greatly enhance nuclear electricity generation capacity well above the present 2% and also enable India to export nuclear energy.

India has not signed the NPT or CTBT because both regimes are discriminatory leading to dominance of nuclear powers over non-nuclear nations. 

India's imposition of a unilateral moratorium fulfils the objectives of both, and its track record in Non proliferation is well known and widely respected. 

Also India's recent membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime strengthens India's case for membership to the NSG.

Owing to growing support India's membership led by US, UK and Russia, China now says that the door is open for discussions on India's NSG membership bid and that the door for the admission of the non-NPT country was never closed. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday said NSG members had three rounds of unofficial discussions on India and Pakistan's membership in the grouping.

In a exclusive conversation with DD news Mexican ambassador to India Melba Pria has said as a nuclear power and a growing economy India has the right to be part of the NSG. 

The comments come as NSG meet is underway in South Korean capital Seoul. Mexico had already supported India's bid for NSG during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the country.

The NSG is a group of 48-nations which effectively controls the supply of all nuclear material, equipment and technology worldwide.

India's stand on NPT has stood in the way of its NSG entry. Although it did secure a crucial waiver in 2008 for the civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the US. 

The decision by the elite nuclear group is going to have far reaching implications on India's growing economy and commitment to clean energy for its development needs.