As Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zadari visits Beijing, questions are being raised over a nuclear deal between the two countries. From Asia Times:
Last week’s meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) in New Zealand brought statements of concern over China’s planned nuclear deal with Pakistan, but United States State Department officials avoided taking a strong position when pressed.
China’s proposed sale of two nuclear reactors to Pakistan would, in theory, stand in violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) – of which China is a signatory – but the Barack Obama administration’s finalization in March of an agreement to reprocess spent nuclear fuel from India could face similar criticism.
Critics charge that both the China-Pakistan and US-India deals violate the NPT by facilitating nuclear programs in states that are not parties to the NPT. The US-India nuclear accord, however, only went ahead after Delhi had obtained a special exemption from the NSG.
