In a first, Trump administration endorses India's quest for NSG membership
NEW DELHI: The Donald Trump administration for the first time since taking over this January has endorsed India’s quest for membership into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) besides two other export control regimes — Australia Group and Wassenar Group.
A US State Department official has said that Washington believes that India is ready for NSG membership in what can be described as taking forward moves made by the Obama administration to push India’s case in the exclusive club.
These remarks assume significance ahead of the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to Beijing with China being the biggest roadblock to India’s entry into the NSG club.
The US official informed that Washington, working with India and Nuclear Suppliers Group members to push for New Delhi’s membership in the elite grouping, indicate that there is no change in America’s policy on the issue under the Trump regime.
“The United States supports India’s full membership in the four multilateral export control regimes, and we believe that India is ready for the NSG membership,” according to a State Department spokesperson.
India outsmarted China to become member of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) last year. This has allowed India and its partners Russia and Israel to increase the range of jointly developed missiles including Brahmos.
China is not yet a member of MTCR. The spokesperson was responding to questions on Wednesday on the position of the Trump administration on India’s bid to be a member of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
The US and India have been working on this issue since the Bush presidency. Despite its best efforts, the Obama administration could not get the job done due to opposition from China, but the onus is now on the Trump administration to see it through.
“We have worked and continue to work closely with our Indian counterparts and the NSG Participating Governments to help advance India’s case for membership,” the State Department official said.
The key to India’s membership now lies with China. India had reiterated its desire to enter NSG based on its credentials during the Sino-Indian strategic dialogue in Beijing last month.
But it is not clear if Tillerson, who would be in China this week, would be raising this issue with the Chinese leadership or if President Donald Trump is ready to take up the issue himself as was done by President George Bush.
Trump will host his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Florida next month. In January, the then South and Central Asia point person of the Obama administration, Nisha Desai Biswal, had described China as an “outlier” as it is denying India the membership.
A US State Department official has said that Washington believes that India is ready for NSG membership in what can be described as taking forward moves made by the Obama administration to push India’s case in the exclusive club.
These remarks assume significance ahead of the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to Beijing with China being the biggest roadblock to India’s entry into the NSG club.
The US official informed that Washington, working with India and Nuclear Suppliers Group members to push for New Delhi’s membership in the elite grouping, indicate that there is no change in America’s policy on the issue under the Trump regime.
“The United States supports India’s full membership in the four multilateral export control regimes, and we believe that India is ready for the NSG membership,” according to a State Department spokesperson.
India outsmarted China to become member of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) last year. This has allowed India and its partners Russia and Israel to increase the range of jointly developed missiles including Brahmos.
China is not yet a member of MTCR. The spokesperson was responding to questions on Wednesday on the position of the Trump administration on India’s bid to be a member of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
The US and India have been working on this issue since the Bush presidency. Despite its best efforts, the Obama administration could not get the job done due to opposition from China, but the onus is now on the Trump administration to see it through.
“We have worked and continue to work closely with our Indian counterparts and the NSG Participating Governments to help advance India’s case for membership,” the State Department official said.
The key to India’s membership now lies with China. India had reiterated its desire to enter NSG based on its credentials during the Sino-Indian strategic dialogue in Beijing last month.
But it is not clear if Tillerson, who would be in China this week, would be raising this issue with the Chinese leadership or if President Donald Trump is ready to take up the issue himself as was done by President George Bush.
Trump will host his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Florida next month. In January, the then South and Central Asia point person of the Obama administration, Nisha Desai Biswal, had described China as an “outlier” as it is denying India the membership.
