US-China cooperation on nuclear energy helps build trust in relations: expert

US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz (L) and Xu Dazhe, the chairman of the China Atomic Energy Authority look at each other during their news conference at the center of excellence on nuclear security in the state nuclear security technology center in Beijing, March 18, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

WASHINGTON - Nuclear energy cooperation between the United States and China has yielded tremendous benefits for both countries and can contribute to trust in the larger bilateral relationship, a US nuclear energy expert told Xinhua.

The United States and China could further enhance cooperation on nuclear energy as there are vast commercial opportunities for both countries and the world, Daniel Lipman, vice president of Washington-based Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), said in an interview ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit to be held in Washington from March 31 to April 1.

Bilateral nuclear energy cooperation "requires a strong foundation of mutual respect and trust that shared technologies will be used only for peaceful purposes," Lipman said, adding that it is "not something the United States enters into lightly."

Through extensive person-to-person and institutional contacts, commercial nuclear trade can also share best practices on nuclear safety, security and nonproliferation, the expert said.

In 2015, a new agreement formalizing civil nuclear cooperation between China and the United States entered into force. The US nuclear energy industry, led by the NEI, played an instrumental role in securing congressional approval for the new deal.

The agreement is "critical for American nuclear suppliers and US foreign policy priorities," said an NEI report before the pact was approved. "Nuclear cooperation with China advances economic interests, safety culture and climate goals."

Besides nuclear energy cooperation, China and the United States also share an interest in nuclear non-proliferation.