India irked by China stalling its nuclear group membership

Associated Press
A small group of activists belonging to 'Hindu Sena' or Hindu Army burn China-made goods and posters carrying the photograph of Chinese President Xi Jinping during a protest in New Delhi, India, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

NEW DELHI: India has expressed disappointment with China for raising procedural hurdles to the South Asian country becoming a member of the 48-nation group controlling access to sensitive nuclear technology.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup says India is disappointed its membership application was not approved at the meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group last week in Seoul, South Korea.
Swarup said Sunday that from India’s engagements with other members of the group he was certain only one country was creating the procedural hurdles. India is going to continue talking with China and hope for a favorable outcome.
The group is focused on restricting nuclear proliferation by controlling which countries can gain access to technology used in making atomic weapons.