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China insists it will not

break nuclear treaty

PRAGUE: Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen insisted on Sunday that Beijing, under U.S. pressure for its sales of sensitive nuclear technology to Pakistan, would never violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Meeting reporters during a visit to the Czech capital Prague, Qian was asked if China would join a total ban on nuclear weapons tests agreed earlier this week by Russia and the Group of Seven (G-7) leading industrialised countries.

The Chinese minister did not respond directly, apparently preferring instead to address allegations that it is helping a clandestine Pakistan nuclear weapons programme.

"The Chinese position is clear," Qian said through a Czech interpreter. "We signed a treaty on the (non) proliferation of nuclear weapons, and never will we attempt it (proliferation)." He declined to elaborate.

The United States has recently turned up the heat on China, threatening to suspend government financing for $10 billion in U.S. business deals in China because of Beijing's reported sale to Pakistan of ring magnets which can be used to make nuclear weapons.

China has maintained that the ring magnets are not covered under the NPT, which has been in effect since 1970.

Washington has yet to decide whether ring magnet sales would violate U.S. laws which require the imposition of sanctions against countries exporting nuclear weapons technology.

On Friday, Qian had failed to reach an agreement with U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher on the issue during talks in The Netherlands, but the two countries said experts would continue to study the matter.

On the weapons testing issue, while talks continue in Geneva aimed at completing a total worldwide nuclear test ban by the end of June, China has insisted that a new treaty allow some nuclear detonations for peaceful scientific purposes.

Russia signed on to the full test ban on Friday while hosting a summit of G-7 leaders on the uses of nuclear technology.-Reuter