Official Chinese news outlets displayed little overt reaction to growing strategic ties between Washington and New Delhi, reflected at the July 18 summit in Washington, DC between President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. At the summit President Bush offered to reopen cooperation with India in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and space, reversing long-standing U.S. restrictions and signaling Washington’s increasing acceptance of India’s status as a nuclear power.

Nonetheless, PRC news coverage pointedly focused on concerns of Western critics of the U.S.-Indian entente, in particular, over the change in U.S. nuclear cooperation policy, suggesting that official China was uneasy with the new trend in U.S.-Indian relations.

Global Times, a popular Chinese newspaper on international affairs affiliated with the official Chinese Communist Party flagship paper the People’s Daily, noted the significance that the United States attached to the Singh visit and the increasingly warm relationship between the two countries, highlighting Washington’s nuclear reversal notwithstanding India’s refusal to join the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). [1] The paper cited an Associated Press story stressing that one of India’s key objectives for many years had been to obtain U.S. recognition of its nuclear status and U.S. assistance for India’s civil nuclear program. Indeed, the Chinese paper made the observation that the Indian press was elated with the summit’s outcome and suggested that Washington now recognizes India’s status as a nuclear weapon state.

In a separate report, the China Daily, the official Chinese paper targeted at overseas Chinese and foreign audiences, argued that the nuclear deal set a bad precedent. It cited concerns by many nuclear nonproliferation analysts that the United States is adopting double standards in its weapon of mass destruction nonproliferation policy—giving India preferential treatment, but trying to prevent Iran and North Korea from pursuing their nuclear programs. [2] Simililarly, one reader of Global Times, in a letter to the editor of that paper, deplored the fact that even though India has not signed the Nonproliferation Treaty, it will be receiving all the benefits of an NPT signatory state. This, the letter said, sends the wrong message, especially at a time when the Six-Party Talks are set to resume in Beijing and when the U.S. policy could reinforce North Korea’s assertion of the right to pursue peaceful nuclear energy programs of its own. [3] (The Six-Party talks, between North Korea and China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States, are aimed at persuading Pyongyang to eliminate its nuclear weapons program and capabilities.)

Perhaps the most direct criticism of the U.S.-India nuclear deal came from the International Financial News (a Shanghai-based paper reporting on international trade and finance) in which a signed commentator voiced his concern at what appeared to be a major U.S. reversal of nonproliferation policy. The writer argued that this could make it more difficult to tackle the Iranian and North Korean nuclear cases and trigger strong objections from Teheran and Pyongyang, as Washington demands that they give up their nuclear programs. Pakistan may also demand that it receive the same treatment as India, the article continued. Citing Western analysts, the article further suggested that the U.S.-India nuclear deal sets a bad example for those countries with advanced nuclear technologies but that have chosen to forgo the development of nuclear weapons. India, the commentator stressed, has conducted nuclear tests in defiance of the Nonproliferation Treaty and is now, in effect, being rewarded. This does not bode well for the nonproliferation regime, the piece concluded. [4]

This undoubtedly orchestrated criticism of Washington’s new policy in the Chinese press—but with no direct critical comments attributable to Chinese officials—also alluded to the supposed motivation for the new U.S. bid to woo India: the development of India as a strategic counter to Chinese power in Asia. The issue, however, was not made the central focus of any of the press reports noted above.

Recent developments may offer some comfort to Beijing, as implementation of the nuclear deal began to face hurdles in the U.S. Congress. A recent article posted on the China News Network, the website run by the China News Agency (one of the two Chinese wire services), reported on the displeasure of key congressional figures at the failure of the Bush Administration to consult them before announcing the deal and noted their demands for greater transparency on the initiative as it moves forward. [5]

SOURCES: [1] “What Can Singh Expect from His U.S. Visit?” Global Times, July 20, 2005, p.3; “U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Elevated,” ChinaNews.com, August 31, 2005. [2] “U.S. Sets Bad Precedent in Its Nuclear Cooperation with India,” China Daily Online, July 20, 2005. [3] “India Survived ‘Nuclear Winter’,” Global Times, July 29, 2005, p.18. [4] “Why Is U.S.-Indian Nuclear Cooperation Causing Such a Big Stir?” International Financial News, July 22, 2005, p.7. [5] “Congressmen Reprimands Bush Administration for Lack of Transparency in Nuclear Deal,” Chinanews.com, October 27, 2005.