#NuclearNaMo: Will Obama snub China to help India enter NSG?
Senior journalist and founding editor of thewire.in Siddharth Varadarajan pointed out that China's intent has been clear that it will not let India enter the group.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today succeeded in securing Switzerland's support for India's candidature for the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG.
"I am thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the NSG," Modi said in Geneva in a joint statement after Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his country's support to India's membership in the elite group.
However, India still needs support from Mexico, a few other small countries and most importantly China to be included in the NSG. And what will make all the difference is the quality of help PM Modi gets from President Obama during his upcoming Washington visit.
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10 BIG QUESTIONS
- Modi's trip crucial for India's NSG bid?
- What can PM say to over some concerns on NSG?
- How likely is PM to persuade Mexicans?
- Breaking Chinese bloc key to winning NSG bid?
- Will Obama's stand be similar to Bush on India?
- Will friendship with Obama help when it matters?
- Sealing big deals a possibility or reality?
- Is there more focus under Modi than Manmohan?
- High-profiled meets with NRIs for TV ratings?
- Meeting NRIs has enhanced PM's profile?
Speaking to Karan Thapar on his show To The Point, India's former Ambassador to Afghanistan and France and a leading disarmament expert Rakesh Sood said that the Swiss acknowledgement of India's credentials has come without any caveats and without any reservations.
"I would expect a similar kind of a green light coming in from Mexico," Sood said.
CHINA A BIG OBSTACLE
Senior journalist and founding editor of thewire.in Siddharth Varadarajan pointed out that China's intent has been clear that it will not let India enter the group.
"It's a question of how deftly India manages to counter diplomatic challenges. This will require deliberations at the highest levels," Varadarajan said.
India's former Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar, underlined that US-China in 2016 is not what it used to be in 2008.
Shankar said that it will interesting to see whether President Obama's own ambivalence over the nuclear issue allows to take an interventionist role or not.
"We have to marshal all our resources," she added.
OBAMA WILL DO HIS BEST TO HELP INDIA
Executive director of the think tank Gateway House, Manjeet Kripalani, was of the view that President Obama will do his best to help India in its bid to secure a seat among the nuclear trading countries.
"I think a majority of countries will find it suitable to side with India on the issue because... China is a big trading partner but this is really not something that they would want to get on the wrong side of India for we are a country with a 7.5 per cent GDP growth," Kripalani said.
"If we don't get into nuclear suppliers group it is okay... what we really need is uranium for power. We have the technology to built nuclear power plants but we need uranium," she added.
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Thank you, says PM Modi as Switzerland backs India's bid for NSG