U.S. Relations With the People's Republic of China (2006)

U.S. Department of State

Remarks With Ambassador David C. Mulford

R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs; David C. Mulford, U.S. Ambassador to India

New Delhi, India
December 8, 2006

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QUESTION: Mr. Burns, how soon do you think the nuclear commerce will actually begin with India? You have said there are two more steps that have to take place. And then what about a 123 Agreement, how soon do you think you can conclude that?

UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Thank you very much.

The 123 Agreement, this is the civil nuclear core between India and the United States, is well on its way. We've had three negotiating rounds. We now want to accelerate those negotiations in the month of January. The United States will go anywhere and meet the Indian team anywhere to further these negotiations, and I'm very optimistic.

The 123 Agreement, I've always seen the negotiations there as essentially a codification of what we've already decided. The big, tough decisions were made in July 2005 and March 2006 between the two governments. So, I don't worry about the 123 Agreement. It's going to get done.

Then the United States sees itself very much as the advocate of India internationally. In addition to changing American law, which will allow the United States and our companies to invest in nuclear technology and nuclear power plants and the provision of nuclear fuel to India, for the first time in 3.5 decades we want the rest of the world to change too. So, we're asking China and Russia and France and Britain and Germany and Japan and Australia to support this agreement. And consistently at the Nuclear Suppliers Group the United States has been launching diplomatic offensives for India and we'll continue to do that. Because delivering India from its isolation and putting it squarely in the center of the international non-proliferation regime is going to strengthen it.

Some of our critics in the United States have said "you're going to weaken the non-proliferation regime". We said no. There's an incongruity about the international non-proliferation regime right now. You have Iran and North Korea that have been inside the regime for the most part violating their international commitments. You have India on the outside observing its international commitments and being a responsible steward of its nuclear technologies. We want to bring the democratic state that wants to follow the rules in, India; and we're trying right now to convince the North Koreans to give up their nuclear weapons, and we hope very much that we'll be able to resume the Six Party Talks soon. And we're trying very hard to have the UN Security Council pass a sanctions resolution, I hope, in the next ten days or so to put sanctions on Iran because it's violating its IAEA commitments.

So what we're doing today is signaling that countries like India and the United States, democratic states that play by the rules and observe international regulations, we ought to be working together and we ought to be, obviously, trying to oppose those states that would seek nuclear weapons in an illegal way, and both North Korea and Iran are in that latter category.

QUESTION: Have you discussed the issue of Chinese support with the Chinese Government? It started with a statement from the Chinese official news agency that the U.S. Government is adopting a double standard as far as nuclear cooperation with India is concerned.

UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: I was in China three weeks ago and I raised directly with the Chinese leadership the issue of India's application to the Nuclear Suppliers Group to have a change in practice. China will have to speak for itself, I can't speak for the Chinese Government, but I'd be very surprised indeed if there were any attempt by China to block this because, I think, China sees the constellation of countries lining up in support of change at the NSG. We've seen strong support from Asian allies, from all the European allies to speak of, and I think there's building support for this.

I do think that a lot of countries in the Nuclear Suppliers Group are watching the United States and watching the U.S. Congress. Now you've had the landmark and very large majorities in the House of Representatives in July, in the Senate just three weeks ago vote by a wide margins to support our policy towards India. I think you're now going to see a positive reaction from the Nuclear Supplier Group states.

China can speak for itself, but it's in the interest of China, in our judgment, to have India squarely in the mainstream, in the center, of our struggle internationally to contain the proliferation of nuclear technologies and fissile material. India has been a responsible steward and has an excellent track record. So, in our judgment, China ought to favor that constellation of forces.

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Released on December 18, 2006