China confirms two more civilian Nuclear reactors for Pakistan.

[Kompromat]

China confirms two nuclear reactors for Pakistan

Tuesday, 21 Sep, 2010

“This project is based on an agreement signed between the two countries in 2003 about cooperation in the nuclear power field,” Jiang told a regular news conference.

China on Tuesday gave its firmest government confirmation yet of plans to build two new nuclear reactors for Pakistan, but a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said she did not know about talks over a bigger reactor deal.


The spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China plans to help Pakistan expand its Chashma nuclear energy complex in Punjab by building two reactors in addition to one already operating and another nearing completion.

Her comments also suggested Beijing may see no need to seek approval for the two new Chashma reactors from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an international council of governments, some of whose members have voiced qualms about the deal.

“This project is based on an agreement signed between the two countries in 2003 about cooperation in the nuclear power field,” Jiang told a regular news conference, citing plans to build the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors of about 300 megawatts each at Chashma.

“China has already notified the International Atomic Energy Agency about the relevant details, and invited the IAEA to exercise safeguards and oversight of this project,” said Jiang.

Up to now, Chinese government officials have been tight-lipped in public about the planned new units at Chashma, although the Chinese companies picked to build them have announced contract signings.

Jiang's statement that the new reactors come under a 2003 agreement may ruffle other countries that have pressed China to seek a waiver for them from the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a 46-member consensus-based body that seeks to ensure nuclear exports are not diverted to non-peaceful purposes.

The expansion of China's nuclear power ties with Pakistan has magnified unease in Washington, Delhi and other capitals worried about Pakistan's history of spreading nuclear weapons technology, its domestic instability, and about the potential exceptions created in international non-proliferation rules.

Jiang was also asked about the China National Nuclear Corp's statement on Monday that it is in talks to build a 1-gigawatt nuclear reactor for Pakistan, in addition to the four smaller Chashma units built, being finished or planned.

But she had less to say on this.“We don't understand this matter. You can make further inquiries with the company,” Jiang said.
Pakistan is a long-standing partner of China, and has been suffering chronic power shortages.

To receive nuclear exports, nations that are not one of the five officially recognised atomic weapons states must usually place all their nuclear activities under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, say NSG rules.

When the United States sealed its nuclear agreement with India in 2008, it won a waiver from that rule from the NSG after contentious negotiations in which China raised misgivings.

Washington and other governments have said China should at least seek a similar waiver for the planned new reactors in Pakistan.

But China now appears positioned to argue that the two new units at Chashma were part of an agreement made before it joined the NSG in 2004, and so do not need another waiver.

Beijing stayed quiet about Chashma at an NSG meeting in June and has not publicly sought an exemption.

DAWN.COM | Business | China confirms two nuclear reactors for Pakistan

 

[Lightningbolt]

China is well on track to firm up the sale of two more nuclear reactors to Pakistan, raising serious concern in India which has conveyed its objections at both the political and official levels in China, as well as the Nuclear Suppliers Group in the last few months.

The deal in question will constitute the first foreign sale of China’s indigenous 1,100 MW nuclear reactor series called ACP 1000 which is set to be a major technological advance for Beijing.

The project, which is to be located off Karachi (KANNUP 2 and 3), is valued at about $9.6 billion. Although there has been talk of this in the past year, concern levels rose in new Delhi after reports that the China National Nuclear Corporation Ltd had signed some initial commercial contracts with Pakistani authorities.

It is reliably learnt that India raised the matter with China in the last few months at high-level official meetings and even escalated it to a political level, pointing out to the incongruity of this prospective sale with China’s own international commitments as a NPT member as well as within the NSG.

Further, sources said, India has made it known to the Chinese side that any deepening of China’s nuclear cooperation with Pakistan has security implications for India given that Islamabad is not committed to separate its civilian programme from the military.

Before taking it up with Beijing, sources said, New Delhi first red flagged the issue to its NSG interlocutors last year when nascent signs of such a conversation between China and Pakistan first emerged. However, it was only at this year’s NSG at Prague on June 13-14 that some of the members are learnt to have raised objections to China proceeding with another project with Pakistan.

Matters did pick up pace on the Indian side in the following months as New Delhi brought it up in its official-level conversation with the US ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington and then took it up at back-to-back meetings with China.

Even as preparations are afoot for the PM’s visit to China later this month, expectations from Beijing on this issue remain minimal. The Chinese argument, sources said, continue to hover around the point that all this cooperation falls within the Sino-Pak nuclear cooperation agreement which precedes Chinese accession to the NSG.

Despite the fact that this position has been fiercely contested within the NSG, the Chinese side successfully went ahead with its commitment on building two more reactors at Chashma. To avoid being caught up in a debate with the NSG, the Chinese side circulated the notification of this sale at the International Atomic Energy Agency, surprising all member states as that has never been the convention.

The key problem with China’s growing nuclear cooperation with Pakistan is that the NSG guidelines make it mandatory for supplier nations to sell nuclear fuel and technology to only those countries which have their entire programme under IAEA safeguards except for five declared nuclear weapons power. The only exception that the NSG has granted is to India under the 2008 nuclear deal.

The Non-Proliferation Treaty makes it mandatory for all its members, barring the five nuclear weapon states, to ensure their full programme is under IAEA safeguards. Pakistan has nuclear weapons and as a non-NPT country does not follow the norm of full-scope safeguards. But China has always sought to take refuge under the grandfathering clause in the NSG guidelines that provides a window to deals finalised by member states before they became part of the NSG.

China to give Pakistan two more nuke reactors, India protests - Indian Express

Keep crying India

 

[Cyberian]

Thanks China. Get lost India.

 

[Obambam]

Whats it got to with India? It is between China and Pakistan

 

[bolo]

like I posted before when Chinese village builds a small wooden bridge India trembles in fear,

 

[Rafi]

China is a true friend, they help us with weapons technology, civil nuclear and other things, we get both civilian and military assistance that keeps us trucking.

 

[ares]

Whats it got to with India? It is between China and Pakistan

This

China’s nuclear cooperation with Pakistan has security implications for India given that Islamabad is not committed to separate its civilian programme from the military.

Obviously India does not expect China to oblige and stop the transfer of tech, however such objection do setup the parameters for Sino-Indian relationship.

Some thing similar happened when Chinese started construction activities in P.OK, Indians objected claiming the area to be disputed and Chinese ignored Indian objection. Few months later India started exploration in Vietnam's EEZ and when Chinese objected claiming the area to be disputed,they were told to take a hike, as the precedent had already been set by the Chinese.

 

[Mugwop]

First objection against China working in kashmir then gwader port and now this.

 

[Edevelop]

Indian reaction....

 

[Lightningbolt]

This



Obviously India does not expect China to oblige and stop the transfer of tech, however such objection do setup the parameters for Sino-Indian relationship.

Some thing similar happened when Chinese started construction activities in P.OK, Indians objected claiming the area to be disputed and Chinese ignored Indian objection. Few months later India started exploration in Vietnam's EEZ and when Chinese objected claiming the area to be disputed,they were told to take a hike, as the precedent had already been set by the Chinese.

don't think for once iota of a second that India can compete with us geopolitically.

If we wanted to play hardball with India, we would be having Naval bases in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives.

We could support the dozens of separatist groups inside India seeking independence.

We can deny India's permanent membership at the UNSC.

India is an insignificant little ant going up against a thoroughbred!

We can squash India like a bug just like we did in our previous wars against you.
Oh btw remember just in April of this year...when our soldiers invaded India, you did NOTHING but squirm like worms to our leaders to pull back. You didn't have the balls to shoot first because India knows very well any war with the PLA means another humiliation for India. Our soldiers only pulled back once we got major concessions out of the Indian regime. The regime had no other choice but to give into our demands because India was utterly helpless when our soldiers were deep inside India.

 

[Kompromat]

"Sun raha hai na tu, ro raha hoon main, sun raha hai na tu, kun ro raha hoon main''

 

[Shinigami]

don't think for once iota of a second that India can compete with us geopolitically.

If we wanted to play hardball with India, we would be having Naval bases in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives.

We could support the dozens of separatist groups inside India seeking independence.

We can deny India's permanent membership at the UNSC.

India is an insignificant little ant going up against a thoroughbred!

We can squash India like a bug just like we did in our previous wars against you.
Oh btw remember just in April of this year...when our soldiers invaded India, you did NOTHING but squirm like worms to our leaders to pull back. You didn't have the balls to shoot first because India knows very well any war with the PLA means another humiliation for India. Our soldiers only pulled back once we got major concessions out of the Indian regime. The regime had no other choice but to give into our demands because India was utterly helpless when our soldiers were deep inside India.

uh oh.. the brainwashed chibot strikes

 

[Obambam]

This

China’s nuclear cooperation with Pakistan has security implications for India given that Islamabad is not committed to separate its civilian programme from the military.

Obviously India does not expect China to oblige and stop the transfer of tech, however such objection do setup the parameters for Sino-Indian relationship.

Some thing similar happened when Chinese started construction activities in P.OK, Indians objected claiming the area to be disputed and Chinese ignored Indian objection. Few months later India started exploration in Vietnam's EEZ and when Chinese objected claiming the area to be disputed,they were told to take a hike, as the precedent had already been set by the Chinese.

But it appears China wasn't fazed by it.

Till now, we have yet to see any real Indian involvements on explorations in the South China Sea. The situation is now very clear, China is having non of it. We are not Russia, India does not buy arms from China, nor does China count on India being our main buyer. Truth is, India has little leverage over what we provide Pakistan, be it for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

China went from securing a deal with Pakistan on its Gwader Port, to building a mega port in Sri Lanka, to securing deals with Maldives and Seychelles to setting up tents in the LOC and now this.

Pakistan's security is important to China, not simply because are we time tested allies, Pakistan also serves as an important gateway to the middle-east as well as Afghanistan. Pakistan's national interest are often part of China's national interest as we are both bordering India, who isn't shy when it comes down to undermining both China and Pakistan's national interests and securities.

End of the day, our relationships are rather different to one that is shared and enjoyed by Russia and India. So don't be too optimistic when brandishing that South China Sea card.

 

[A.Rafay]

India as always crying on any development of Pakistan. What Jerkies indians are!

 

[Genesis]

Pakistan already has Nuclear weapons, what's a couple more reactors?

It's not like Pakistan has no nuke and we are giving it to Pakistan.

This is a civilian project for power. Even if it is used for military it's still just ADDING capabilities not creating it.