China says it won't obstruct India at NSG meet

Signalling that it may not be an obstacle to a waiver to India to be considered by the Nuclear Suppliers Group, China on Tuesday said it has always played a "positive" role at the meetings of the 45-nation grouping.

China has always played a "positive role" at the meetings of the NSG and believes all countries have the right to develop nuclear energy while observing the obligations of the non-proliferation regime, foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told reporters in Beijing.

The NSG is due to meet on September 4-5 in Vienna to discuss a waiver to India to allow it to resume nuclear commerce with the international community after a gap of 34 years.

Jiang expressed the hope that the NSG would be able to "strike a balance between nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful use" of atomic energy.

China expects the "relevant countries" would be able to "safeguard the effectiveness of the international non-proliferation regime," she said without specifically naming India and the US in this context.

Her remarks come a day after the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party of China, published an opinion piece describing the India-US nuclear deal "a major blow to the international non-proliferation regime."

Jiang did not comment on the article, saying she had not read it.