China on Tuesday for the first time said the door is open for discussions on India’s NSG membership bid. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing that while discussions are going on among the NSG members, Beijing never said it is against any country. She said, the door for the admission of the non-NPT country was never closed.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry however 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.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi is likely to have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 23rd of this month on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Uzbekistan capital Tashkent during which he is expected to seek China’s support for India’s bid. Quoting official sources PTI has reported that Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar may travel to Seoul to give a final push for India’s bid at the crucial plenary of the 48-nation grouping.