Renew China nuke deal: officials

Senior US officials tried to convince lawmakers on Tuesday that continuing China-US peaceful nuclear cooperation is in the best interests of the US.

Thomas Countryman, assistant secretary of state for international security and non-proliferation, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that "China's non-proliferation record has improved markedly since the first US-China 123 Agreement was signed in 1985, though it can still do better."

A nuclear cooperation deal between the US and another country is often called a "123 Agreement".

"Over the past 30 years, China has undertaken a variety of efforts to enhance its global standing on non-proliferation issues while significantly expanding its civil nuclear sector," Countryman told the hearing, which was interrupted for about 20 minutes when the Senators had to hurry to the main floor to vote on the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) that would allow the Obama administration to fast track the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks. (The vote failed to go through Tuesday amid strong opposition from many Democratic Senators.)

China and the US first signed a 30-year peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement in 1985.The agreement expires on Dec 30.

In response to concerns raised by US lawmakers over the past year, Obama submitted to Congress a new agreement that will last for the next 30 years.

"The proposed agreement provides a comprehensive framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation with China based on a mutual commitment to nuclear nonproliferation," Obama told lawmakers in a letter released by the White House on April 21.

The new agreement will be available for review by lawmakers for a period of 90 days and will go into effect if not blocked by lawmakers.

Frank Klotz, under secretary for nuclear security at the US Department of Energy, told lawmakers that concluding the new agreement will enhance the US' ability to manage and mitigate the risk of China diverting sensitive nuclear technology to its military programs or re-exporting it without US permission.

"Indeed, it is my view that we are better off from a national security perspective by completing this agreement than we are without any 123 Agreement in place at all," he said.

Both Klotz and Countryman reminded lawmakers of the significance of the agreement to the US nuclear industry and jobs at home.

China now has the most ambitious nuclear energy program in the world to meet its exploding energy needs and to fight carbon emissions. Right now, it has 26 nuclear power reactors in operation and 24 under construction with more about to start construction, according to a World Nuclear Association report early this month.

US-based Westinghouse is competing for the vast Chinese market with companies from Russia, France and several other countries.

Klotz said China increasingly seeks services, technology, and equipment from the US and other foreign commercial vendors for its civil nuclear program. "We believe it is in the best interest of the United States to continue to support US vendors' ability to compete in this fast growing market," he said.

He applauded the growth of Chinese clean nuclear energy as a demonstration of China's commitment to combating the global climate change challenge.

China announced its intention to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its primary energy consumption to around 20 percent by 2030, as part of its effort to meet its post-2020 climate change targets. Nuclear power will be an important part of those targets.

Klotz warned that failure to allow the proposed agreement to go forward would essentially cut off US vendors from this market, posing a potentially serious commercial threat to the overall health and well-being of the US civil nuclear industry.

China suspended its nuclear program after the devastating Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan four years ago, but has resumed approval of new reactor projects this year.

Li Bin, a senior associate of Nuclear Policy Program & Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said it seems that the Senate will say okay to the agreement as it will be so important for the US although some Senators may raise different voices. He said the agreement will allow Chinese companies to buy some advanced civilian nuclear technologies from American companies.

"But if there is no such an agreement, the Chinese nuclear scientists can certainly develop the same level nuclear technologies for its civilian nuclear industry," Li said.

Li believes the benefits of the agreement for China is that it symbolizes the spirits of stability and cooperation in the overall US-China relations. The benefits of the agreements for the US are much greater. "The American nuclear industry would have a gloomy future without it," he said.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com