China condemns US blacklisting of nuclear firms and says American companies could be hurt as a result
- Nuclear safety boss suggests Chinese companies will weather the move, thanks to partnerships with other countries
China’s top nuclear safety official has condemned the US blacklisting of Chinese nuclear firms, but warned that ultimately the move could harm American companies.
Liu Hua, head of the National Nuclear Safety Administration, said US multilateralism and protectionism behind the move would harm the interests of companies in both countries, but could strengthen Chinese firms’ research and development and improve their creativity.
He also pointed out that the market for nuclear cooperation was wide, and that other countries, besides the US, were already involved in China’s nuclear industry.
France and Russia were among China’s nuclear cooperation partners and cooperative projects, including nuclear power facilities and reprocessing plants, were making progress, Liu said.
China has cooperation with multiple countries except for the US, and China will make nuclear an important industry to export
“[We] hope the US stops these wrong practices and solves the problem through equal consultation,” Liu said, at a press briefing on Tuesday to mark China’s first white paper on nuclear safety.
The US Department of Commerce placed China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) and its subsidiaries on its entity list in August, alleging the companies had “engaged in or enabled efforts to acquire advanced US nuclear technology and material for diversion to military uses in China”.