Push China To Stop Opposing India’s NSG Bid, Delhi Tells Moscow Before Prime Minister Modi’s Visit

Just weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visits Russia, New Delhi has told Moscow to convince China, a country that it is drawing closer to, to stop opposing India’s bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Times Of India has reported. Modi is expected to be in Russia from 1-3 June to attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The newspaper report on the issue claims that India has warned Russia of putting in clod storage the memorandum of understanding (MoU) the two countries were supposed to sign for developing reactor units 5 and 6 of the Kudankulam Atomic Power Project. Russia, which is taken aback by India’s decision to put the MoU on the back-burner, took up the issue with New Delhi during Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin’s visit to India last week.

India is believed to have given Russia a timeline of 1-2 years, saying that the country will have no option but to switch to an indigenous nuclear energy programme. The move will limit the scope of cooperation with Russia and other players such as France and the United States, affecting their industries. Of these, only Moscow has considerable influence over Beijing to soften its resistance.

A report in the Economic Times, published in March, claimed that Russia is in talks with China to facilitate India’s entry into NSG. Therefore, if the report was accurate, renewed pressure from India in the form of delaying a critical MoU means Russia’s initial efforts to persuade defiant China had possibly failed.

For India to become a member of the NSG, the exclusive export control group will have to approve New Delhi’s application unanimously. With China remaining defiant, possibly on behest of Pakistan, India’s bid hasn’t moved forward.

Also Read: Why Is NSG Membership Vital For India?