Broader nuclear cooperation in Asia has in the past been hampered by geopolitical tensions, said Rajiv Nayan, a senior research associate at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.
The U.S.-India deal irked both Pakistan, India's nuclear-armed neighbour, and China, which saw it as an attempt by Washington to counteract Beijing's growing influence in the region.
Last year, China committed $6.5 billion to finance the construction of two nuclear reactors in Pakistan's port city of Karachi, and the two nations are in conversation about building three more plants, according to a Pakistani official.
With China recently signing deals in Romania and Argentina (both likely to be CANDUs), as well as apparently expanding in Pakistan, last year's irker may be this year's irked.