Signalling that it may not be an obstacle to a waiver to India to be considered by the Nuclear Suppliers Group, China on Tuesday said it has always played a "positive" role at the meetings of the 45-nation grouping. China has always played a "positive role" at the meetings of the NSG and believes all countries have the right to develop nuclear energy while observing the obligations of the non-proliferation regime, foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told reporters in Beijing [Images].
The NSG is due to meet on September 4-5 in Vienna [Images] to discuss a waiver to India to allow it to resume nuclear commerce with the international community after a gap of 34 years.
Jiang expressed the hope that the NSG would be able to "strike a balance between nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful use" of atomic energy.
China expects the "relevant countries" would be able to "safeguard the effectiveness of the international non-proliferation regime," she said without specifically naming India and the US in this context.
Her remarks come a day after the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party of China, published an opinion piece describing the India-US nuclear deal "a major blow to the international non-proliferation regime."
Jiang did not comment on the article, saying she had not read it.
© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.
|