China gives guarded response on Indo-US civilian nuke deal

BEIJING: China has given a guarded response to the proposed Indo-US civilian nuclear pact, saying that any decision to this effect should contribute to regional peace and security.

Asked to comment on the Indo-US civilian nuclear energy cooperation agreement during an interaction with visiting Indian journalists in Beijing, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Quan initially described it as "an interesting question".

Kong then referred to the UN Security Council resolution 1172 adopted in 1998 soon after the nuclear tests of India and Pakistan.

"And I hope any move or policy decisions in this regard will contribute to peace and security in this region," he said in his reply.

In the past, Chinese Foreign Ministry officials have repeatedly asked India and the United States to abide by rules of the non-proliferation regime in their nuclear cooperation and contribute to the international community's efforts in this regard.    

The US and India should work under the international non-proliferation mechanism in their nuclear cooperation, Ministry officials have said.

China believes international nuclear cooperation could be carried out on a basis of peaceful use and concerned countries should fulfill their international obligations, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao had said in response to the US-India nuclear deal that was approved by the US House of Representatives in July.

"Relevant cooperation should abide by international regulations, and contribute to the international efforts of non-proliferation," the spokesman had said.

In the past, China had expressed reservations on the India-US civilian nuclear deal, saying India has not yet signed the NPT.

The People's Daily, the ruling Communist Party's mouthpiece as well as other official Chinese media and experts have criticised the Indo-US nuclear deal in the past, saying it would jeopardise the international community's non-proliferation efforts.