Exclusive | How US nuclear sanctions on China backfired
Washington’s strict blacklist rule amid national security concerns has forced Beijing to become self-sufficient with ‘incredible’ results
“I couldn’t close my mouth in amazement,” she admitted, stunned by China’s advanced capabilities and “incredible” industrial scale.
This awe-inspiring progress exists despite stringent US sanctions – including the 2019 blacklisting of China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) and the recent suspension of equipment licences – imposed over national security concerns.
Now, as the US and Europe struggle with costly delays and atrophied supply chains in their own nuclear expansions, China’s sanctioned industry has become an unattainable benchmark of efficiency – and its exclusion threatens to stall the West’s own atomic energy revival.
“The current geopolitical situation at all levels is incredibly complex. But our position has always been that the nuclear industry is global, and we would like to see countries working together and sharing best practices and lessons learned,” said Bilbao y León.
The industrial leader, originally from Spain, has been calling on member countries to strike a balance between global cooperation and local participation to ramp up the supply chain.