China confirms IAEA invitation over Japan's nuclear wastewater disposal

BEIJING - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief has sent a letter inviting Chinese experts to participate in a working group pertaining to Japan's disposal of nuclear wastewater, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Confirming the relevant information, spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a daily news briefing that IAEA is actively preparing to assemble the working group after repeated requests from stakeholders such as China and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

"China will give full support to the follow-up work of the working group," said the spokesperson, adding that China hopes the IAEA will listen to the opinions of stakeholders to ensure that the working group can play its due role in the technical assessment of and supervision on Japan's disposal of the nuclear wastewater.

Stressing that the disposal of nuclear wastewater is of great importance and not a private issue of Japan, Wang said China strongly urges the Japanese side to provide all necessary cooperation to ensure that the IAEA working group can carry out its work smoothly.

Japan must not wantonly start the ocean discharge before consulting and reaching consensus with all stakeholders and relevant international organizations, Wang added.