India's top diplomat makes 'unannounced' visit to China to lobby support for NSG membership

China has vehemently opposed United States and other major powers’ support for Indian membership to the NSG

Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar made an 'unannounced' visit to Beijing last week on a two-day official tour to bargain for Chinese support in its bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership, according to The Hindu.



Diplomatic sources confirmed Jaishankar visited Beijing from June 16 to June 17. According to Indian FO spokesperson Vikas Swarup, “Jaishankar had discussed all major issues, including India’s membership to the NSG during his visit to Beijing."

China has vehemently opposed United States (US) and other major powers’ support for Indian membership to the NSG whose members enjoy access to sensitive nuclear technology.

Last week, state-run Chinese daily also opined that a US-backed move to gain membership for India will be good neither for Pakistan nor for China, and would set off nuclear instability in South Asia.



The NSG is a 48-nation club committed to curbing nuclear weapons proliferation by controlling the export and transfer of materials that could lead to their development. The members of the group are signatories to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty but India has refused to sign.

Opponents argue that granting India membership would further undermine efforts to prevent proliferation. It would also infuriate India’s rival Pakistan, which responded to India’s membership bid with one of its own and has the backing of its close ally China.

A decision on Indian membership is not expected before an NSG plenary meeting in Seoul on June 20, but diplomats have said Washington has been pressuring hold-outs. Most of the hold-outs oppose the idea of admitting a non-NPT state such as India and argue that if it is to be admitted, it should be under criteria that apply equally to all states rather than under a ‘tailor-made’ solution for a US ally.



A meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping may also be expected at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tashkent, Uzbekistan this week.

This article originally appeared on The Hindu.