China joins nuclear suppliers’ group

Himalayan News Service

Beijing, May 28:

The annual conference of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in Gothenburg, Sweden, inducted China as a member today, Xinhua reports. “China’s accession to the NSG contributes tremendously to the international non-proliferation effort,” said the commission’s Vice Minister Zhang Huazhu here. Founded in 1975, the NSG is an unofficial organisation of nuclear capable countries exercising control on nuclear exports. It was made up of 40 member states before China’s accession, including the US, Britain, France and Russia. “China supports the NSG’s positive role, objectives and principles in nuclear non-proliferation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao Thursday at a news conference. China applied for the NSG membership in January this year. In 1984, it joined the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and in 1992 the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). China’s NSG accession not only enhances the universality and effectiveness of the international nuclear non-proliferation mechanism, but is helpful for the construction of global non-proliferation systems, said Zhang.

As a nuclear power and IAEA member, China has consistently been supporting and taking an active part in international cooperation against nuclear proliferation, he said, noting that since 1984, China has joined several international treaties and organisations on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and materials. In 1989, China signed an international treaty on nuclear material protection, and in 1997, enacted laws to regulate nuclear material export. China is now rectifying its domestic laws and regulations on nuclear exports so as to meet the international standards of the NSG, according to sources.