The President’s Government Joe Biden tightened controls on export of materials and components for plants of nuclear energy to Chinaand said that it will seek to ensure that the items are used only for peaceful purposes and not for the proliferation of atomic weapons.
The measures are among the latest signs of Tense relations between Washington and Beijingwho already faced espionage accusationshuman rights violations, industrial policies and Washington bans on export of advanced technologies.
What is the new US restriction on China?
The Office of Industry and Security (BIS), which belongs to the Department of Commercenow requires exporters to obtain specific licenses to send certain generators, containers and software intended for use in nuclear plants in China.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)the federal agency responsible for nuclear power safety, also requires exporters to obtain specific licenses to ship specific nuclear material and source substances.
This includes different types of uranium and deuteriuman isotope of hydrogen that, in large quantities, could be used in reactors to produce tritium, a component of nuclear weapons.
The government of Biden considers that the action is “necessary to promote the interests of United States national security and enhance common defense and security,” the NRC said.
A US official said the changes, made Monday, were motivated by general policy towards China.
“No action by an exporter or China prompted this action,” an NRC spokesman said. “This is part of a larger effort by the United States government to strengthen supervision of certain exports to China”.
He Chinese embassy spokesman Liu PengyuHe said he had no say on the details of the regulation, but overall, “China firmly upholds the international non-proliferation regime” and abides by its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. China opposes “putting geopolitical interests above nuclear non-proliferation efforts,” she said.
Source: Ambito
