BEIJING: Defending China's firm opposition to letting India into the Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG, its state-run media today described India as "a bit smug" in its dealing with the international community, a result of Delhi's being "spoiled" by the West.
Despite staunch lobbying by the US for India and a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the NSG meeting in Seoul ended without a decision on India's application, filed in May.
In a hard hitting editorial, the state-run Global Times said today that it was Rules, not China, that prevented India's entry.
China says that membership cannot be granted to India because it has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the main global arms pact.
"It is morally legitimate for China and other members to upset India's proposal in defence of principles," said the Global Times.
The newspaper said US backing adds the biggest impetus to India's ambition. By cozying up to India, Washington's India policy actually serves the purpose of containing China.
The US is not the whole world. Its endorsement does not mean India has won the backing of the world. This basic fact, however, has been ignored by India.
Some Indians' accusations do not make any sense. China's action is based on international norms, but India's reaction seems to indicate that their national interests can override principles recognized by the world.
The editorial railed, "Recent years have seen the Western world giving too many thumbs up to India, but thumbs down to China. India is spoiled. Although the South Asian country's GDP accounts for only 20 per cent of that of China, it is still a golden boy in the eyes of the West."
"The international adulation of India makes the country a bit smug in international affairs," it said.
“India's nationalists should learn how to behave themselves. Now that they wish their country could be a major power, they should know how major powers play their games” the editorial concluded.