India's 'deft diplomacy' thwarts Beijing’s plans to pass anti-AUKUS resolution

China withdrew a draft resolution at the IAEA against the AUKUS grouping seeking to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. The sources said India's 'deft diplomacy' played a crucial role in ensuring that many smaller countries took a clear stand against the Chinese proposal.

In a major embarrassment to China, India thwarted plans of Beijing to get a resolution passed against AUKUS — a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — at the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which was held in Vienna from September 26-30, 2022. China withdrew its draft resolution on September 30 realising that its resolution would not get majority support, albeit it had already got Global Times to publish an article about its imminent success on September 28.

According to sources, India used its “deft diplomacy” and played an important role in ensuring that many smaller countries took a clear stand against the Chinese proposal. The Indian Mission to the IAEA in Vienna worked closely with many IAEA member states and took an objective view of the initiative, recognising the soundness of the technical evaluation done by the IAEA.

According to sources, China tried to get a resolution passed against the AUKUS for seeking to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines (but armed with conventional weapons). China argued that this initiative was in violation of their responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It also criticized the role of the IAEA in this regard.

There was deliberation on the matter at the IAEA’s General Conference where, according to reports, Western states mostly expressed confidence in AUKUS partners & the IAEA while developing states underscored the need for greater transparency & nonproliferation assurances.

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On 23 August 2022, the Director General received a request, submitted by the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China, for the inclusion of an item entitled “Transfer of nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS and its safeguards in all aspects under the NPT” in the agenda of the 66th (2022) regular session of the General Conference.

Sources say that India’s role and diplomatic manoeuvring were deeply appreciated by IAEA member states, particularly the AUKUS partners.