China rules out India entering NSG: Can green energy push change Beijing stand?

China on Monday reasserted that it would not let India into the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG), which controls the global flow of nuclear raw materials and technology. China has been adamant on not letting India into the NSG because it is not a part of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), whose signatories have vowed against nuclear armament.

It may be noted that the NSG itself started as a result of India testing nuclear weapons under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974. All 48 of its members are signatories of the NPT, and China has been blocking India's entry into the NSG ostensibly because it is not.

The real reason is believed to be China's closeness to traditional ally Pakistan, a nuclear state with which India has strained ties. China's stand seems to be that if an NPT non-signatory like India is let into the NSG, so should Pakistan, and it has scuttled all efforts by India to get into the elite group.

Adamant stand

And China seems to be adamant on that stand despite many efforts by India. This became evident when Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying was asked during her regular press conference on Friday about the NSG plenary meeting coming up in June: "Is any new initiative being contemplated by China and the rest of members about the admission of India and other non-NPT states?"

She replied: "China's position on the admission of non-NPT states into the NSG remains unchanged. China supports the NSG in handling the relevant issue as mandated by the 2016 Seoul General Assembly with the principle of consensus and through the open and transparent intergovernmental process and the 'two-step' approach. China will continue to take part in the NSG's relevant discussion in a constructive way."

India's power programme may suffer?

India has been steadily moving away from fossil fuels, increasing its reliance on renewable sources like solar, wind, water and nuclear energy. To that end, it recently okayed the building of 10 pressurised heavy-water reactors (PHWRs) that would subsequently be used in nuclear power plants to generate electricity. 

However, it may be noted that Pakistan has already claimed India has already diverted enough fissile material from its power projects to build 2,600 nuclear weapons. It may be noted here that the CIRUS reactor of Trombay — shut down as part of the 2008 Indo-US nuclear deal — had provided fissile material for the 1974 tests and other reactors had followed suit for the 1998 nuclear tests.

China could cite these examples to argue that any nuclear raw-material given to India if it becomes part of the NSG could be used for making nuclear weapons. If that happens, India's nuclear power programme would be the victim.