Beijing: China on Wednesday continued to make ambivalent statements on India's bid for NSG membership amid clear indications that it was unrelenting in its opposition.
Clubbing India and Pakistan once again, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said members of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group have had three round of unofficial discussions on the membership of the two countries. China is seeking to equate India with its impeccable non-proliferation record with that of Pakistan for which it is batting.
But Beijing maintained that the entry of the two countries was not on the agenda of the two-day NSG plenary in the South Korean capital Seoul starting tomorrow. India's Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be in Seoul but a breakthrough on India's entry is unlikely.
Pakistan on Tuesday claimed that it had successfully blocked India's bid for NSG membership, and China's clubbing of the two countries is seen as a ploy to block New Delhi.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also underlined the differences within NSG members, saying "parties are yet to see eye-to-eye on this issue". On it's part Beijing will play a constructive role in the discussions, she said.
The NSG works under the principle of unanimity and even one country's vote against India will scuttle its bid.
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