Beijing: A leading Chinese scholar has
demanded that India should make its atomic programme
"transparent" and questioned its status as a legitimate
nuclear weapon state, in a commentary that comes in the midst
of intense media focus on reports of Chinese incursions along
the border.
"The issue is that India is not only a country that wants
to develop civilian nuclear power, but also a nation that has
developed nuclear weapons," says Zhao Gancheng, director of
the influential Centre of South Asia Studies at the Shanghai
Institute for International Studies.
"Thus others are concerned not about whether India could
develop civilian nuclear reactors to generate electricity, but
whether it is or should be seen as a legitimate nuclear
weapons state (NWS)," Zhao says in a commentary in the state-
run Global Times, a sister publication of the ruling Communist
Party`s mouthpiece, People`s Daily.
As a non-signatory state to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT), India`s extensive search for sources of nuclear
materials has attracted attention worldwide, he writes.
While India wants to develop nuclear programmes, the
potential for them to include nuclear weapon improvement in
both quality and quantity naturally leads to "suspicion," he
says.
"At the end of the day, India cannot be the nation that
triggers or worsens any possible arms race in South Asia. For
that simple reason, India must make its nuclear plans
transparent to the international community."
Zhao says that since the US-India civilian nuclear deal
was made, the international community has debated legitimacy
of India`s development of its civilian nuclear power.
While agreeing that India, just as any other state, has
the right to develop and use nuclear energy, which would
reduce India`s consumption of coal and oil and make a
contribution to controlling global warming, he writes that
this is not the end of the issue.
He said the US-India civilian nuclear deal was aimed at
solving the problem by acknowledging India`s legitimate status
to cooperate with other countries in civilian fields without
having to clarify India`s status as a nuclear weapons holder.
Despite India`s legitimacy in purchasing nuclear
materials from the global market, the question remains whether
India would stick to the principle of not developing nuclear
weapons further, because the US-India deal does not actually
solve the problem, he says.
Now that India has acquired a legitimate status in the
civilian nuclear market, India`s relevant nuclear programs are
expected to progress further, Zhao writes.
As a de facto Nuclear Weapon State, India will become a
crucial element in the future. The international community
would certainly expect India to play a responsible role in the
region, and in the world at large, he writes.
"Regional stability fits India`s interests, and even the
possibility of an arms race would harm all parties involved,"
he says adding, it can be hoped that India`s access to global
market for nuclear fuel will help create more stability, and a
lasting peace in South Asia.
Bureau Report
