Beijing: Concerned over Indo-Pak tensions, the United States and China on January 20 discussed the nuclear status of the two South Asian countries and how the five "legitimate nuclear states" should handle the issue.

"It is obviously a question of concern for the United States and all of the 'legitimate' nuclear weapons states that India and Pakistan, not members of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), still have nuclear weapons," US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, John Bolton, told a press conference in Beijing.

Bolton said he and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya had "general discussions" on the South Asian nuclear question and how to proceed on it.

"We had a discussion on the question of nuclear status of India and Pakistan, what that means for the relations on the sub-continent and how the five legitimate nuclear states should handle that," he said.

Bolton, Washington's top non-proliferation official, held the first bilateral consultations at the vice ministerial level on strategic security, multilateral arms control and non-proliferation.

Bolton said he discussed with Wang the policy changes US has made concerning the nuclear status of India and Pakistan.

"We discussed the changes in policies the Bush administration has made concerning the nuclear status of India and Pakistan by lifting of sanctions that were imposed after the 1998 nuclear tests," he said.

Bolton also briefed the Chinese side about Washington's efforts to ease Indo-Pak tensions after the December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament.

PTI