China's nuclear industry is set to become the next big thing in the civil nuclear power industry, according to ANSTO Chairman Ziggy Switkowski, despite reports that China's rapid nuclear build-up is creating a dangerous shortage of properly trained staff. Asian countries are implementing ambitious nuclear power agendas, and China, India and South Korea are positioning themselves as cheaper and more efficient suppliers for the region and the rest of the world.
So it should come as no surprise that China finally officially announced its plans to build two new power reactors for Pakistan, and appears to see no need to seek approval from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for the deal. Back in April, when word of this deal was first on the street, Carnegie's Mark Hibbs saw it as a harbinger of the growing assertiveness of China's nuclear industry; he also analysed China's calculations in the lead-up to the NSG meeting in June. Both pieces are worth re-visiting now that the cat is officially out of the bag.
The Nuclear Reactions column is supported by the Nuclear Security Project of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, as part of a wider partnership between the NSP and the Lowy Institute.
Photo by Flickr user errata-tat-tat, used under a Creative Commons license.
