Judge India's NSG bid on 'merit', Modi tells Xi

Tashkent: Amid China's continued stalling, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday told Chinese President Xi Jinping to judge India's application for NSG membership on its "merit". "Prime Minister Modi urged China to make a fair and objective assessment of India's application and judge it on its own merit," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup briefed reporters here. Probed further by reporters about India's chances to secure membership in the 48-nation bloc, he said: "This is a complex and delicate negotiation process. Whatever I had to say I have said all." The briefing followed a meeting between Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). China has been opposing India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) -- which regulates global nuclear trade and technology -- on the grounds that New Delhi is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The NSG is holding a plenary in Seoul where it was expected to take up India's membership application.