Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi

New Delhi, Sept. 6: India thanked every member of the Security Council’s Permanent Five except its biggest neighbour but sources said China’s “uncomfortable” stand that delayed the NSG waiver would not affect its foreign minister’s three-day bilateral trip starting tomorrow.

They said though Beijing’s position was a “concern”, the visit would boost relations between the two countries.

National security adviser M.K. Narayanan, however, told a TV channel that Delhi would, “of course, express some kind of disappointment”, saying it “expected more from them”.

“We were a little surprised about China,” he said, pointing out that President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao had told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh they would never create difficulties for India.

“(But) we are not a one-issue government,” Narayanan added. Just because China did not support India, “we are not going to have problems with them”.

A statement from foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee reflected the Vienna after-taste when he spoke of the government’s “deep appreciation” for the “untiring efforts” of the US, France, the UK and Russia — four of the P5 countries — but did not mention China, the fifth among the quintet.

“I would like to take the opportunity to place on record the government’s deep appreciation in particular for the untiring efforts of the United States, France, United Kingdom and Russia throughout this process…” said the statement read out before the media.

He also thanked the present and previous chairs of the NSG — Germany, South Africa and Brazil — for their support.

The Prime Minister said the NSG waiver would give an “impetus to India’s pursuit of environmentally sustainable economic growth”.

“This is a forward-looking and momentous decision. It marks the end of India’s decades-long isolation from the nuclear mainstream and of the technology denial regime. It is a recognition of India’s impeccable non-proliferation credentials and its status as a state with advanced nuclear technology,” Singh added.

“We look forward to establishing a mutually beneficial partnership with friendly countries in an area which is important for both global energy security as well as to meet the challenge of climate change.”

Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi is scheduled to touch down in Calcutta at 4.50 tomorrow afternoon to inaugurate the Chinese consulate in the city. In Delhi, he will meet the Prime Minister on Monday and also his counterpart Mukherjee.

India would also host the governor-general of New Zealand, another country that was against a waiver.

Anand Satyanand, who is of Indian origin and will be the first governor-general from New Zealand to visit India, will begin his weeklong trip from Monday.