Nuclear security always a priority for Beijing

The Fuqing nuclear power plant is under construction.[Photo/China Daily]

Many state leaders will gather at the fourth Nuclear Security Summit in Washington to discuss international nuclear security issues. President Xi Jinping put forward China's outlook on nuclear security for the first time at The Hague Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands in 2014, which has become an important concept guiding the country's efforts to strengthen nuclear security.

That Xi will also attend this year's summit in Washington demonstrates China's willingness to implement the new outlook on nuclear security and its sense of responsibility when it comes to global nuclear security.

The spread of terrorism has aggravated the risks of international nuclear terrorism. So the international community has to strengthen coordination and global governance in the nuclear field.

A key factor in this regard is strengthening state nuclear security, and the fulfillment of countries' responsibilities and international obligations. States should have laws and supervisory mechanisms to ensure effective protection of nuclear materials and facilities, and provide all-weather institutional, technical and personnel guarantee to enhance nuclear security.

To prevent nuclear terrorism, countries must abide by the principles of the United Nations Charter, support and strengthen the common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable nuclear security outlook, strive to establish a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation, adhere to global governance in the nuclear field, and eliminate nuclear terrorism.

Beijing not only supports the maintenance of global nuclear security; it has also taken and will take necessary actions for the purpose. It has always sought security for development and promoted development through security. Nuclear security is vital for China to prevent nuclear nonproliferation, and to beef up nuclear security in the process of development.

Chinese leaders have taken part in every Nuclear Security Summit and China's voice, outlook and plans have been projected to the world through the summits and welcomed by the international community. China has also implemented the decisions of these summits, fulfilled its promises, and introduced foreign capital, technology and equipment to facilitate national security and development.

China welcomes all constructive global cooperation, and is committed to providing nuclear public security products. It has approved all international legal instruments concerning nuclear security, supports the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the UN, and is fulfilling its international obligations. The nuclear security center co-founded by China and the US, which started work on March 18 in Beijing, will help improve the nuclear security level in not only the Asia-Pacific region, but also the rest of the world.

And China hopes the countries participating in the Nuclear Security Summit will reach a new consensus on nuclear security and make efforts to build a fairer, more cooperative and universally beneficial nuclear security system, so as to promote the healthy development of nuclear energy in the world and make further contributions to international nuclear governance field.

The author is vice-foreign minister of China.