US President George W. Bush signed a landmark law on Monday
allowing the sale of civilian nuclear technology and fuel to India,
overturning a 30-year-old US ban on supplying India with nuclear
fuel and technology. The ban was imposed in 1974 following India's
first nuclear test.
The legislation allows the US to make a one-off exception for
India to keep its nuclear weapons without signing the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The NPT stipulates that only countries having renounced nuclear
weapons may qualify for civilian nuclear assistance.
Bush called the bill the foundation for a new strategic
partnership with India and stressed that the two countries'
relationship had never been more vital.
"The US needs an ally like India in South Asia, so it sacrifices
national policy to meet its geo-strategic needs," said Han Hua,
Director of Peking University's Center for Arms Control and
Disarmament Studies.
In exchange for the US nuclear reactor and fuel, India has to
submit civilian facilities for inspection by the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
India says 14 of its 22 nuclear facilities are civilian. Eight
military plants, however, would remain off-limits to the IAEA
inspectors.
Han described the cooperation as America's trade-off deal,
imposing some conditions to let it get involved in and better
supervise India's nuclear technology development.
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Some Chinese security experts said the US action will undermine
international efforts to prevent states like Iran and North Korea
from acquiring nuclear weapons.
"We can see from the legislative amendment that the US in fact
holds a double-standard on nuclear non-proliferation for its allies
and rivals," said Gao Heng, a senior expert with the Institute of
World Economics and Politics affiliated to the Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences.
"The US-India deal may create obstacles for the ongoing
negotiations with Iran and North Korea since it will let the two
countries find another excuse to justify their possession of
nuclear weapon," said Xu Guangyu, board member of China's Arms
Control and Disarmament Association affiliated to the Chinese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Xu also raised concerns about the potential nuclear arms race in
South Asia caused by building up India's nuclear capacity.
The cooperation will break the existing strategic balance in
South Asia, and let India continue to keep ahead in the arms race,
according to Xu.
Commenting on the deal, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang
Tuesday said nuclear cooperation for civilian use "should be
conducive to safeguarding the principles and effectiveness of the
international nuclear non-proliferation mechanism."
(China Daily December 20, 2006)
