Draft law highlights int'l cooperation against nuclear

China highlighted international cooperation in combating nuclear terrorism in a draft nuclear safety law on Monday.

The country should carry out international exchanges and cooperation in nuclear safety to prevent and deal with the threats of nuclear terrorism, the draft said.

It reiterated China's rational, coordinated and balanced nuclear safety outlook and its commitment in fulfilling international obligations under binding treaties.

The new draft was submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee on Monday at the start of its bi-monthly session for the third reading.

The previous draft was reviewed by the committee in April and last October.

Besides asking for a national inter-agency coordination mechanism, the draft also introduced a set of new requirements on operators of nuclear facilities.

Facility operators should provide adequate occupational protection and medical examinations for employees, the draft said.

It also states funds must be established by operators to cover the expense of the treatment of the spent fuel, radioactive waste and decommissioning nuclear facilities.

Operators should also buy liability insurance, participate in a mutual support mechanism and make proper financial arrangements to guarantee the timely and effective fulfillment of compensation in the case of nuclear accidents.

The draft also proposed a national committee to organize and coordinate emergency management, as well as an emergency response fund.

Su Zelin, vice chairman of the Law Committee of the NPC, presented the draft to lawmakers in the morning session and called on the standing committee to pass the draft as soon as possible.

Such a law will help strengthen the responsibility of nuclear companies, the public's trust in nuclear safety and the healthy development of the nuclear energy industry, Su said.

China currently has 36 operational nuclear reactors and is building 20 more.

By the end of 2020, China aims to have 58 million kilowatts of nuclear power capacity in operation and more than 30 million kilowatts under construction.