Apart from China, these countries opposed India’s NSG bid

New Delhi appeared to be less prepared for the responses of a few other countries including Brazil, Turkey and Switzerland – all of whom reportedly opposed India’s membership on the grounds that it isn’t a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

India is not a signatory to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that was the ground used to reject India’s bid.

The Indian Express newspaper said: “No entry in NSG: India blames one country (China), others said no too”. “But we are confident that India would be a full member of the (NSG) regime by the end of the year”, the official told on condition of anonymity. “I say this strongly that India should not accept the NSG membership”. MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swaroop said China was the only country which opposed our membership in Seoul and India will continue to engage with China.

The NSG was founded in response to India’s 1974 nuclear test and it has worked for decades to prevent the sharing of technology that could contribute to the further spread of nuclear weapons, he said yesterday.

The United States, which has a nuclear cooperation deal with India, considers it a nuclear power that plays by the rules and is not a proliferator, and wants to bring Asia’s third largest economy into the 48-member group. It is worth mentioning that, NSG was formed in 1974, sequel to Indian nuclear test, the Smiling Buddha (Pokhran-I). China raised a procedural block early in the day, refusing to admit the India membership issue to be discussed in the meeting.

China said it hoped India signs the NPT now. We are building 38 reactors within the country.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, defending its opposition to entry of non-NPT countries like India into the NSG, China said it was guided by the rules of the 48-nation grouping which were not directed against any specific country.

That Switzerland would be the next chair of the NSG was a matter of satisfaction for India given its more sympathetic outlook towards India’s candidature, the first person cited above said.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, who is camping here, had earlier met the Brazilian delegation. On its part, Washington has reiterated that, despite Chinese refusal to support India for the membership of NSG, US will continue its backing of the New Delhi’s application for the NSG membership.