Everything [China does] is all right, but you ignore our security concerns because we are poor and a non-nuclear power.

If another country were planning to develop a new nuclear weapon and contemplating pre-emptive strikes against a list of non-nuclear powers, Washington would rightly label that nation a dangerous rogue state.

For example the use of nuclear power in either the military or the civil sense is regarded as qualitatively different from non-nuclear power in its safety, control and management requirements.

Both nuclear and non-nuclear powers continued to produce diesel-electrics submarines-as they only make significant noise when they run the diesel engine to recharge the ship's battery.

The need to drop conventional bombs remained in conflicts with non-nuclear powers, such as the Vietnam War or Malayan Emergency.

"You have to wonder then," she said, "how long Japan can remain the only non-nuclear power among the major countries in the region?"

Critics claim that developing new nuclear weapons sends a proliferating message to non-nuclear powers, undermining non-proliferation efforts.

The connection between superpower nuclear tests and nonproliferation is clear - at least to the non-nuclear powers.

Rather, they argue, the number of permanent members should be expanded to include non-nuclear powers, which would democratize the organization.

Since the Member States are made up of both nuclear and non-nuclear powers, this may not be so obvious.