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| Narendra Modi addresses 69th session of the UN General Assembly (Image: Flickr User - Narendra Modi) |
By Vinay Kaura
Beijing has been skillful at keeping New Delhi guessing on support for the latter’s Security Council bid.
Chinese support for India’s quest for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC) remains a distant dream. While addressing the students of the Tsinghua University during his recent China visit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi explicitly underlined the positive impact of China’s support for a permanent seat for India at the UNSC. “China’s support for India’s permanent membership of a reformed UNSC and for India’s membership of export control regimes like Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) will do more than just strengthen our international cooperation. It will take our relationship to a new level. It will give Asia a stronger voice in the world.”
The joint statement signed that came out of the visit, however, only stated that China “understands and supports India’s aspiration to play a greater role in the United Nations including in the Security Council.” In other words, India has no option but to wait for unambiguous Chinese support. It has become a customary feature during high-level official visits for the Chinese side to merely “understand and support” India’s aspirations for a greater international role. As long as both nuclear-armed Asian rivals find themselves at odds in reshaping international institutions, including the UNSC, Asia can never hope to have a stronger voice in the world.
The fate of India’s bid is mainly in the hands of the veto-wielding permanent members of the UNSC, and China is the only veto-wielding permanent member that has yet to extend unequivocal support to India’s bid to become a permanent member.
Read the full story at The Diplomat