BEIJING: On the eve of President Xi Jinping's India visit, China said there was no change in its stand on India's NSG membership bid and New Delhi's attempts to get JeM chief Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist by the UN.
As Xi is due to arrive in Goa on Saturday to take part in the BRICS Summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said the relations between India and China made "great headway" despite some "disputes" but there was no change in Beijing's stand on the issues of NSG and Azhar.
"I have stated China's position. I would like to reiterate that the UN committee dealing with the listing does it according to provisions of the UN charter," he said while replying to a question on India's application to ban Azhar following the Pathankot attack.
Geng, at a briefing, said China maintains that 1267 Committee of the UN designated to ban terrorist outfits should work on true facts and make a decision according to consensus of its members.
All parties are divided in listing of the relevant people. And this is why China has put on hold banning Azhar, he said.
The second technical hold put by China will give enough time to make the listing decision, Geng said, adding that this also shows the responsible and professional attitude of the Chinese side.
"China's position has not changed regarding the joining of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) by India," Geng said.
Courtesy: The Economic Times