China condemns US blacklisting of nuclear firms and says American companies could be hurt as a result
- Nuclear safety boss suggests Chinese companies will weather the move, thanks to partnerships with other countries
China’s top nuclear safety official has condemned the US blacklisting of Chinese nuclear firms, but warned that ultimately the move could harm American companies.
Liu Hua, head of the National Nuclear Safety Administration, said US multilateralism and protectionism behind the move would harm the interests of companies in both countries, but could strengthen Chinese firms’ research and development and improve their creativity.
He also pointed out that the market for nuclear cooperation was wide, and that other countries, besides the US, were already involved in China’s nuclear industry.
France and Russia were among China’s nuclear cooperation partners and cooperative projects, including nuclear power facilities and reprocessing plants, were making progress, Liu said.
China has cooperation with multiple countries except for the US, and China will make nuclear an important industry to export
“[We] hope the US stops these wrong practices and solves the problem through equal consultation,” Liu said, at a press briefing on Tuesday to mark China’s first white paper on nuclear safety.
The US Department of Commerce placed China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) and its subsidiaries on its entity list in August, alleging the companies had “engaged in or enabled efforts to acquire advanced US nuclear technology and material for diversion to military uses in China”.
CGN told Chinese state media Securities Times that, after preliminary analysis, the group believed the impact on CGN’s development would be limited. As of July, CGN had 23 nuclear reactors in operation with a capacity of 25 gigawatts and five under construction with a capacity of 6.35GW.
US blacklists Chinese nuclear firms over security fears
Experts also said the blacklisting by the US would not have a big impact on China.
“China has cooperation with multiple countries except for the US, and China will make nuclear an important industry to export,” said Jiang Kejun, senior researcher at the Energy Research Institute of China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
China has shown an interest in exporting its nuclear technologies as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Two of China’s third-generation “Hualong One” nuclear reactors are under construction in Pakistan, while it is also bidding for projects in Argentina and Britain.
At a forum in April, Liu said Hualong One had signed 18 cooperation agreements with 16 belt and road countries.
“The blacklist may ultimately harm American companies,” Liu concluded at Tuesday’s briefing.
