India will look to garner China’s support for the Indo-US nuclear deal once the deal is approved by the US Congress. ‘‘The first step is getting the approval of the US Congress. Thereafter it will go to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) of which China is a member. China is aware of our needs and we will surely take it up after the matter is resolved in the US Congress,’’ Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today.Fresh from his recent visit to China and Japan, Mukherjee said India and China had agreed to set up a Defence Cooperation Group to discuss cross-border terrorism and maritime security issues. ‘‘We have signed an MoU with China providing institutional arrangements for defence cooperation,’’ he said. He further said Japan had recognised the need of defence cooperation and a joint statement reflecting this had been issued during his visit.Responding to a query on China’s support for Pakistan’s weapons programme, Mukherjee said ‘‘every country has its own programme in relation to its threat perception’’. ‘‘Neither are we a threat to them nor they to us,’’ he said adding that both the countries had realised over the years that ‘‘we are neighbours and cannot change our neighbourhood and thus it is better to live in peace than in tension’’.‘‘Nobody is thinking of an armed conflict. Also, the appointment of special representatives by both the countries to resolve the border issue is a positive development,’’ he said.Asked whether China would support India’s case for a permanent membership in the United Nation’s Security Council, Mukherjee said neither had the matter come up for discussions nor had the Chinese authorities conveyed any support on their own. Mukherjee also emphasised that the question of Sikkim being recognised as a part of India had been settled permanently with China having suggested Nathula as a trade point.Mukherjee added that ‘‘Asian security must encompass India, China and Japan’’ was the running theme at the Shangri La Dialogue held in Singapore. Mukherjee spoke on the ‘‘Role of Emerging India’’ at the Shangri La Dialogue organised by the International Institute of Strategic Safety to discuss overall Asian security issues. This year, 22 countries and nine defence ministers participated in the event. Apart from sharing various perspectives on Asian security, the security of Malacca Straits too was discussed.
