China to enhance cooperation in nuclear safety
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-10-21 01:07

China will expand international nuclear safety cooperation and improve supervision to guarantee safe operations of its nuclear installations, the nation's top environmental official said Wednesday.

 "China will sincerely implement the Convention on Nuclear Safety and draw on advanced technology and experience of other countries to ensure its nuclear safety meets international standards," said Xie Zhenhua, director of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).

Xie made the remarks at a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the founding of the National Nuclear Safety Administration ( NNSA) of China. The ceremony saw the presence of Tomihiro Taniguchi, deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and officials of nuclear safety authorities from more than 40 countries.

NNSA was established in 1984 and since 1998, it has been under the supervision of SEPA. Under NNSA 's effective supervision, no major incidents have taken place in the nuclear installations during the past 20 years, said Xie.

Years' monitoring results also revealed that the radioactive elements in China's atmosphere, soil and surface and ground water are well within safety standards, he said.

However, he acknowledged that China still faced great challenge to ensure nuclear safety because it would build more nuclear power plants to meet the country's increasing energy demand.

Taniguchi spoke highly of NNSA's achievements, saying that the performance of the nuclear power stations under its supervision has been excellent.

"The fact that China is the world's leader in developing a large-scale nuclear program is, in no small amount, due to the regulatory effectiveness to assure safety. This has been supported by the sustained dedication and hard work of our colleagues in the NNSA, by their high technical competence and by China's strong political commitment," he said.

He said that because of the large scale and high quality of cooperation between the IAEA and China, China has been a strong promoting force to better meet the IAEA safety standards and to materialize the IAEA nuclear safety strategy.

"I sincerely believe that the NNSA, in the coming two decades, will strengthen its leadership role and continue to serve as a world model of good safety practices," he said.

Taniguchi is here to attend the International Conference on Topical Issues in Nuclear Installation Safety slated for Oct. 18- 22.

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