China backs Pak membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group

BEIJING: China on Wednesday said it backed Pakistan’s “engagement” with the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) but at the same time maintained that acceptance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was a standard to admit new member-states in the 48-nation grouping.
“China has noted Pakistan’s aspirations for the NSG membership. Pakistan has taken steps towards its mainstreaming into the global non-proliferation regime,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing.
“We support Pakistan’s engagement with the NSG, and hope such efforts could be conducive to the authority and effectiveness of the international non-proliferation regime. We wish to strengthen communication and coordination with Pakistan,” she said. At the same time, she said, “It is the long-standing consensus of the international community that the NPT is the cornerstone of the regime”.
She was replying to a question on how China views Pakistan’s aspirations for NSG membership at the NSG plenary meeting being held in Argentina.“In fact, besides Pakistan, there are other non-NPT states who have expressed similar aspirations,” she said in an apparent reference to India’s interest to become NSG member.