NEW DELHIi: Prime Minister Naredra Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at Tashkent on June 23 in a last ditch effort to bring the neighbour on board for its bid to enter the NSG, the group of nuclear suppliers which is holding its plenary in Seoul on the same date.
According to sources, the meeting will take place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) Summit.
The agenda of India’s NSG will be at the top during his discussions with Mr Xi, according to sources.
China had yesterday given indications of its attitude when it said India’s NSG membership was not at all on the agenda of the 48-member nuclear suppliers group, a statement that had come a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had expressed hope about Chinese support at the June 23 meeting of the NSG at Seoul.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had also rushed to Beijing last week to seek the Chinese support. State run Chinese media today said India’s entry into the NSG while excluding Pakistan would create bigger problems. China had been opposing India’s entry on the ground that it had not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Some other countries like South Africa, Norway, New Zealand have also been opposing India’s bid on the same ground. However, the US, Russia, Britain, Mexico and some other nations were backing India. (AGENCIES)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
