nuclear-news

China and nuclear power – theme for November 2013

 The global nuclear lobby looks to China as its saviour. The World Nuclear Association(WNA)  boasts that China has  17 working nuclear power reactors and 30 under construction,  They are less enthusiastic about the safety concerns about China’s nuclear reactors, nuclear wastes, and  growing nuclear arsenal – as well as about the increasing popular resistance to nuclear power. See the sidebar at right, for the negative side of China’s nuclear power – and reasons why China might not fulfil the nuclear lobby’s dream.

While the Chinese government is trying to crack down on corruption , in fact, corruption is entrenched  in both public and private businesses – graft, bribery, embezzlement, backdoor deals, nepotism, patronage, and statistical falsification. No surprise that this goes on on the very secretive operations of nuclear power and nuclear waste management.  And the world does not get to hear of any nuclear whistleblowers in the closed totalitarian State of China.

The  danger and security issues of nuclear power make China deal more forcefully and secretly with nuclear power. For China, as with its neighbour, India, nuclear power leads to suppression of civil liberties.

As China has in fact slowed down its nuclear power programme, it has, like Japan, looked to export nuclear technology, as a way to make the industry financially viable.

November 3, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's themes