White paper on nuclear safety's debut reflects high importance china attaches to the issue

China Military Online
Huang Panyue
2019-09-04 17:54:03

China’s State Council Information Office released a white paper titled "Nuclear Safety in China" on Tuesday. This is the first white paper of its kind released in China. Experts believed that it’s of great significance, reflecting China's high regard for nuclear safety, and helping to win further public support for nuclear energy construction.

It is understood that the white paper comprehensively introduces the development history of China's nuclear safety cause, elaborates on China's basic principles and policies in the field, shares the concepts and practices of regulation, and clarifies its determination to promote global nuclear safety governance and the actions it has taken to achieve this.

According to the white paper, China has always regarded nuclear safety as an important national responsibility, and integrated it into the entire process of nuclear energy development and utilization.

China's nuclear industry has always developed in line with the latest safety standards and maintained a good safety record, pursuing an innovation-driven path of nuclear safety with Chinese characteristics.  

Nuclear energy has always been associated with safety risks and challenges since it’s developed and utilized by humans. Since the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in 2011, the public's requirements for environment and safety have continued to increase.

"All countries with nuclear weapons and nuclear materials in the world, such as the United States, have had nuclear leakage problems," Professor Yang Chengjun, a senior researcher under the Nuclear Security Research Center of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and nuclear arms control expert, said on Tuesday.

"So, the release of such a white paper is of great significance plus strong necessity and urgency.” Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University(XMU), also believed that the elaboration on the necessity and significance of developing nuclear energy to the public is conducive to win further support from the public in nuclear energy construction.

China's foreign nuclear energy cooperation has raised widespread attention on the day when the white paper was issued. In the process of China-US trade frictions, the United States issued a nuclear limit order on China, and included China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) and some of its enterprises in the "List of Entities."

In this regard, Liu Hua, vice minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, stated that the US side has generalized the concept of national security, and abused export control measures, which not only dealt a serious blow to Chinese enterprises, but also affected related enterprises including those of the United States.

China has backlashed against the US in harming the interests of all countries across the world including China by means of unilateralism and protectionist policies. It is expected that the US will stop its wrong practices, and insists on solving problems through equal consultation.

Liu also pointed out that nuclear security goes without national boundaries. Even in the context of China-US trade frictions, the China-US cooperation in nuclear security will not be affected. "The market for nuclear energy cooperation in the world is vast. In addition to China-US cooperation, there still exists friendly cooperation between China and other countries.

Therefore, it is the US enterprises that the nuclear limit order may ultimately harm." According to Liu Hua, in addition to China-US nuclear energy cooperation, China has carried out fruitful nuclear energy cooperation with France and Russia. Some major projects, including nuclear power plants and spent fuel reprocessing plants, have made substantial progress.

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