"Never Recognised India, Pakistan As Nuclear Countries," Says China

"China has never recognised India and Pakistan as nuclear countries. Our position on this has never changed," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing in Beijing.

China has been blocking India's entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) (File Photo)

BEIJING: China Friday said it has never recognised India and Pakistan as nuclear powers and ruled out extending such a status to North Korea following the unsuccessful second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam.

"China has never recognised India and Pakistan as nuclear countries. Our position on this has never changed," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing in Beijing.

He was replying to a question whether China would recognise North Korea as a nuclear state like India and Pakistan as talks between Trump and Kim at the second summit in Hanoi broke down over Pyongyang's refusal to give up two nuclear processing plants.

China has been blocking India's entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on the ground that New Delhi has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).