India, China hold disarmament dialogue including Delhi's NSG membership

NEW DELHI: India and China on Tuesday held a key dialogue on non-proliferation and disarmament as Delhi is understood to have reiterated to the Chinese side its non-proliferation credentials ahead of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) plenary scheduled after few months.

This dialogue was among series of high-level engagements being pursued by India and China to boost relations.

China remains biggest obstacle to India’s entry into 48-member NSG. China, a key member of the NSG, has been opposing India's bid primarily on the grounds that Delhi is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Its opposition has made India's entry into the group difficult as the NSG works on the principle of consensus.


“The fifth edition of the India-China Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Dialogue was held today in Beijing. The Indian delegation was led by Dr. Pankaj Sharma, Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs) MEA while the Chinese delegation was led by Wang Qun, Director General of Department of Arms Control at the MFA, China,” Indian Embassy in Beijing said in a statement.

The delegations exchanged views on various topics of mutual interest, including, developments related to disarmament and non-proliferation at multilateral forums, nuclear issues, role of science and technology in the context of international security and disarmament as well as outer space, read the statement indicating that issue of India’s NSG membership would have been discussed. The situation in Korean Peninsula amid peace moves would have also been discussed by the two sides.

Both sides underlined the importance of the bilateral dialogue as an important mechanism between the two countries for consultations on important issues and agreed to hold the sixth round of consultations here in future.