Defying the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), China has been selling nuclear reactors to Pakistan.

WASHINGTON: China continues to sell nuclear reactors to Pakistan, a US think-tank has said, expressing concern over export of nuclear materials in violation of international norms and established procedures.

“China has taken significant steps over the past several years to strengthen its export controls. However, Beijing’s decision to continue selling nuclear reactors to Pakistan in contravention of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and its sales of missile technologies to countries of concern earns China a failing grade,” Washington-based Arms Control Association said in its latest report.

In its updates report card 2013-2016 ‘Assessing Progress on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament‘, it gives China a failing “F Grade” on nuclear weapons related export control.

China joined the NSG in 2004, and its national export controls include provisions related to export licensing, control lists, end-user controls, and import controls.

At the IAEA General Conference in 2015, China said it carries out “stringent reviews” on its export controls and adjusts its trigger lists according to technical progress and in March 2016, Beijing said it started to implement the Nuclear Export Control List that was updated in January 2016.

“Despite progress on its export controls China continues to supply Pakistan with nuclear power reactors, despite objections that the sale of the reactors did not receive a consensus exemption from the NSG,” the report said.

“Pakistan, which is neither an NPT member nor under full-scope IAEA safeguards, is therefore ineligible to receive such assistance under NSG rules,” it argued.

“China has argued that the reactor transfer was based on a contract negotiated with Pakistan in 2003, one year before Beijing joined the NSG, and grandfathered in when China joined the regime. However, the 2003 exemption was widely understood to apply solely to the two nuclear power reactors whose sale was completed before China’s acceptance into the NSG in 2004,” the report said.

Source From : ndtv.com