Why China and Pakistan blocking India's entry into NSG?

Wednesday, 29 June 2016

Why China and Pakistan blocking India's entry into NSG?

Dheeraj Kumar, keen observer of Geopolitics and International Relations.

The reason is simple, China can not digest the rising stature of India in global geopolitics and trying to contain India as it has always did in the past. Chinese veto to block India’s bid to declare Jaish-e-Mohammed chief and mastermind of Pathankot terror attack Masood Azhar an international terrorist and now opposing India’s entry to NSG are all part of its strategy to contain India. And it will always come with some baseless reasons to defend its wrong moves for eg. according to china Masood Azhar does not qualify as a terrorist, “Azhar does not meet the council’s requirement to be considered a terrorist” were the exact words of chinese representative to UN and now comparing India with Pakistan on their nuclear non proliferation records. This is the reason why china is playing Pakistan card. It is because of china that pakistan has also applied for NSG at the same time when India is pushing for its entry to NSG, so that it can halt India’s bid. Everyone knows that pakistan will not be allowed to join NSG given its past record and China will try to put both India and Pakistan in the same boat(on the grounds that both hasn’t signed the NPT) and both will be denied entry into NSG.

China says that India hasn’t signed the NPT. First of all signing NPT is not a mandatory condition to join NSG. France had became a member of the NSG before it signed the NPT, so there is already a precedence. Though India hasn’t signed the NPT but it has an impeccable track record in nuclear non proliferation.

India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea are only four nuclear powers who are not signatory to NPT. Pakistan has a very bad record in nuclear non proliferation and it has been increasing its nuclear arsenal. Pakistan has also assisted Iran, Libya and Saudi Arabia in their nuclear programs and I don’t think I need to say anything about how responsible North Korea is and how fast it is increasing its nuclear arsenal. Though it is widely known that Israel has nuclear weaponary but officially Israel has never accepted it and there is so much ambiguity about its nuclear program and arsenal strength. So India remains the only responsible nuclear power which has not signed NPT and has an impeccable non proliferation record and deserved to be in the NSG. So this argument that allowing India to join NSG might set a wrong example and other nuclear powers who are not signatory to NPT might use this example to join NSG does not hold any ground.

On the other hand china’s(which is a signatory to NPT) non proliferation record is questionable. China has provided nuclear and missile technology assistance including weapons grade uranium and warhead designs to pakistan in 1980’s and 90’s. China also assisted North Korea in its nuclear program.

India is the only country in Asia Pacific who has the potential to confront China(Japan is already at its peak and both china and india are rising economies). To maintain the balance of power and peace in Asia Pacific India will have to play a very important role that is why we are seeing ever increasing engagements and collaborations between US, India and Japan. India has also started engaging with countries like Vietnam and Philippines though at very small levels. China is like a bully and wants to bully the entire Asia. It is already bullying all its neighbors in South China Sea by claiming the entire south china sea(by giving some baseless arguments) and building artificial islands and militarizing them. Just imagine if India starts building artificial islands in Indian Ocean, claims entire Indian Ocean and establish an Air Defense Identification Zone, how illogical it will be, similar is the case of china with south china sea.

So its Chinese strategy to oppose and confront India at every step to contain it. But I am hopeful that our PM and diplomats will be able to push India’s bid for entry into NSG and their hard work won’t go in vain.

Chetan Rattan, I follow developments in Pakistan regularly

Few things first :

A. Pakistan is not member of NSG.
B. NSG is group of 48 countries who control manufacture and supply components, reactors, uranium etc.
C. All members of NSG has to sign NPT.
D. India, Israel , North Korea, Pakistan are not signatory to NPT hence not members of NSG.

US after signing Civil Nuclear Deal with India has been trying to get a waiver to India on NPT and get India membership of NSG.

Membership of NSG helps ease the transfer of technology, raw material etc among NSG countries and US companies do not have to take waivers to do business with and in India.

Every member of NSG has one vote and to get a waiver, or admitting a new country all 48 members have to vote in favour or vote yes.

India and US have been working on back channel diplomacy have got 47 members to agree.

But China has stood out as a only NO vote

The reason can be many:

A. China is not interested as the waiver does not benefit Chinese economy.
B. US, other western countries along with Russia will be main beneficiaries.
C. China is against civil nuclear deal to India as it makes an exception.
D. China fears operationalising the deal will pave way for many more such deals in Defence, nuclear and Pharma research, space which is not to the liking of China or plans of China.
E. China lags India in many high technology sectors like Pharmaceuticals, High end computing and sees it as another sector where India may gain over China.
G. Despite being member of NSG China does not get preferential treatment and west uses ways to deny technology to China.
H. The operationalising of civil nuclear deal with NSG membership puts India as sole competitor to China in short and long term.
I. It opens India's captive market to west which in short tem may transfer trade balance in favor of west.
J. It will help India to reduce dependency on coal and water for power generation and may mean drying up of orders of turbines etc where China is coming up as lead supplier to Indian projects.
K. India will block membership to Pakistan indefinitely under the present rules.
L it is taking high moral ground in diplomacy by raising a query on why an exception is to be made to India but other non NPT signatories entry is blocked forever.

Vivek Ravindranath, The nation that is spherical in flat times

China is orchestrating the blocking of india from NSG Membership

I will try to put it in simple terms

Basic Terms

There are 5 original nuclear powers

United States

Russian Federation (formerly Soviet Union)

United Kingdom

France

China

Indian Pakistan and North korea are declared Nuclear States

Israel is a non declared state widely believed to be having nuclear weapons

Nuclear Supplier’s Group

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seek to prevent nuclear proliferationby controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.

NPT

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treatywhose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.

Now India and pakistan are both non signatories of NPT

NPT was designed to keep the power centered with the five Nuclear powers.
India and Pakistan are both non signatory Nuclear weapon states

Most nations in NSG want india to sign the NPT

India argues that the NPT creates a club of "nuclear haves" and a larger group of "nuclear have-nots" by restricting the legal possession of nuclear weapons to those states that tested them before 1967

Now lot of the supplier nations like Switzerland and south africa are objecting to india being a part of NSG without signing NPT

But in reality China is orchestrating the blocking of india for 2 reasons