Positive energy of China

As President Xi said equal emphasis needs to be placed on the development and security of nuclear power

The Third Nuclear Security Summit was held on Monday and Tuesday in The Hague in the Netherlands; with the participation of leaders from more than 50 countries and international organizations the focus was on strengthening nuclear security and the prevention of nuclear terrorism.

With the global nuclear security situation becoming increasingly complex, and the United States and the European Union wrangling with Russia over the Ukrainian crisis, the timing of the summit was highly sensitive and the interaction among the parties inside and outside the venue caught the attention of people around the world.

The current global nuclear safety situation is complicated and severe, and there are three major challenges. First, nuclear terrorism has become the No 1 threat, as the risk of nuclear terrorist activities is increasing. In recent years, international terrorism has showed signs of resuscitation. Taking advantage of the political upheaval and unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, al-Qaida and other terrorist groups have gained momentum and, by means of the Internet and the smuggling of nuclear material, they are leaving no stone unturned in their attempts to build atomic bombs. The threat of nuclear terrorism continues to grow.

Second, in order to deal with climate change and energy shortages, countries are racing to develop nuclear power, and it is impossible to completely prevent nuclear accidents caused by natural disasters or man-made calamities from happening. Major natural disasters are likely to cause damage to nuclear plants and nuclear materials in storage. Nuclear leaks at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011 have still not been completely stopped.

Third, the nuclear proliferation situation is still complicated. The Iranian nuclear issue shows signs of improvement, as the talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, the P5+1, have achieved substantial progress. It is more pressing to solve the long-standing nuclear issue concerning the Democratic People's Republic of Korea through diplomatic means. Meanwhile, the right-leaning Shinzo Abe administration in Japan is trying to turn the country into a political and military power, and its nuclear ambition deserves high alert from the international community. Although under international pressure, Japan announced on the eve of the summit that it will hand over 500 kilograms of nuclear material to the United States, Japan will continue to possess a large amount of plutonium.