China Ready To Discuss India's NSG Membership Bid

A month after India claimed that it had held 'substantive' talks with China on its attempt to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Beijing has shown willingness to discuss New Delhi's NSG membership bid with its southern neighbour.

Ahead of the summit of the BRICS group of emerging nations, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong said that his country would have no issue, if India became a member of the 48-member grouping of countries that trades in civil nuclear technology.

China held out an olive branch ahead of BRICS Summit, with Li saying that Beijing wants New Delhi to follow the rules set by NSG member countries. The Chinese minister also appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's multi-billion-dollar drive to build nuclear power plants in partnership with foreign countries, saying: "These rules were not set by China. On the issue of joining the NSG, China and...