Indo-US nuclear deal will face hurdles, says China

HONG KONG: In its first official response to the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement, China on Thursday highlighted nuclear proliferation concerns and one of the potential hurdles to the deal, but did not categorically state that it would block the deal. 

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said in Beijing that China had “noted that within the Nuclear Suppliers Group there are different views about relaxing the restrictions on nuclear exports to India.”  

Jiang, however, declined to clarify if China too had reservations about the Indo-US deal, or whether it would veto the deal in the NSG.

Securing the consensual approval of the 45-member NSG to supply nuclear fuel to India is critical to the operationalisation of the agreement.

Some NSG members are known to have privately expressed concern over the prospect of giving India, which has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), access to nuclear fuel. They have argued that making an exception to India would weaken non-proliferation initiatives, particularly against Iran.

Echoing concerns articulated by non-proliferation campaigners, Jiang further said that India and the US should address worries that the agreement would damage safeguards against the spread of nuclear weapons. 

She added that any international atomic power cooperation agreement should serve to “protect and strengthen” barriers against the spread of nuclear weapons. “China believes that, with the precondition of abiding by their international responsibilities, all countries can develop cooperation in the peaceful exploitation of nuclear power.”  

In the absence of a more forthright articulation of where China stands vis-à-vis the deal, the fact that it has chosen to underline the lack of a consensus within the NSG may hold some significance. But the spokesperson’s ambiguity may also be a reflection of the diplomatic tightrope walk that China faces.  

On the one hand, Beijing perceives the Indo-US agreement as a milestone in the emergence of a strategic relationship between the world’s two biggest democracies, with the intention of “containing” China. On the other hand, in the perception of diplomatic watchers, if China openly signals its opposition to the deal, it would have the effect of pushing India into a closer alliance with the US.  

As a commentary in the official People’s Daily noted recently, “ The (intention) of the United States to sign (a) civilian nuclear energy cooperation agreement with India is to enclose India into its global partners’ camp, so as to balance the forces of Asia. This fits in exactly with India’s wishes.”