NSG Membership: A Battle Is On Between The Great Stonewall Of China And The Great Will Of India

Amidst all attempts by China to stonewall India’s bid to further its hold on South Asian geopolitical equations, Delhi is aiming to do its best in the pursuit of its membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), reports Economic Times.

As the 48-member exclusive group is all set to assemble on 1-2 April, China is all set to exercise its diplomatic heft to prevent India from making any headway in the matter. Meanwhile, India is trying to convince members like Austria, Switzerland and Ireland about its clean image in non-proliferation. India is not yet a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

P5 members like Russia and US, who have been staunchly backing India’s bid based on its clean record in non-proliferation, have yet again come forward to strengthen India’s case. Britain and France, the other two members of P5, have also extended  their support, and so have Australia and South Korea. A few members from the Latin American region too are backing New Delhi.

Thanks to some diplomatic finesse, India, since 2016, has succeeded in attaining memberships of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Australia Group and Waasenar Arrangement.

From the Seoul Plenary in 2016 to the one in Latvia in 2018, to the build-up to the next meet, China, which is putting forward its ‘all-weather ally’ Pakistan, is trying to bring Islamabad and Delhi on the same footing. It has been vehement with its reservations about the entry of non-NPT members, into the NSG. Beijing also recently blocked the combined efforts of France, UK and US to list Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at the UNSC.