China Nuclear Chronology 2011-2010 | 2009-2008 | 2007-2005 | 2004-2002 | 2001 | 2000-1999 | 1998-1997 | 1996-1995 1994-1992 | 1991-1990 | 1989-1985 | 1984-1980 | 1979-1970 | 1969-1960 | 1959-1945 Last update: July 2011 2011-2010 14 June 2011 China completes nuclear inspections of all 13 currently operating power reactors. According to Li Ganjie, Vice- Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, safety evaluations of the 28 reactors under construction should be completed by October. Six weeks earlier, China declared its military nuclear facilities safe. Li emphasizes that the lessons from "Japan's Fukushima nuclear crisis are profound," and that China is working on a comprehensive and effective nuclear safety plan. Li confirms that China still plans to construct more than 100 reactors by 2020. On the other hand, "[China] needs to control the pace of [the nuclear energy] development," according to Zheng Yuhui, director of the research center of the China Nuclear Energy Association. The Chinese Academy of Sciences scholars add that China should maintain a relatively stable policy for nuclear power development and further strengthen nuclear safety. —中华人民共和国中央人民政府 [The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China], "环境保护部副部长会见美国能源部核能助理部长 [Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection Met the United States Department of Energy's Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy]," 14 June 2011, www.gov.cn; "After Inspections, China Moves Ahead with Nuclear Plans," The New York Times, 17 June 2011; "China Suspends New Nuclear Plant Approvals," China Daily (Edition in English), 15 June 2011, www.chinadialy.com; "China May Resume Giving Approvals to New Nuclear Plants-Official," BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific, 25 June 2011; "Experts: China Should Keep Nuclear Power Policy Stable," People's Daily (Edition in English), 25 May 2011; "Chinese Military Nuke Facilities Declared Safe," Global Security Newswire, 1 April 2011, www.gsn.nti.org. 25 May 2011 Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of the People's Republic of China, holds talks with Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. "China and DPRK have always maintained the exchange of high-level visits," says Jiang Yu, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson. Kim Jong Il says, "We hope to ease the situation on the Korean Peninsula, adhere to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, and restart the six-party talks as soon as possible. We have been always sincere in improving North-South relations." —中华人民共和国外交部 [Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China], "胡锦涛与金正日会谈 [Hu Jintao Holds Talks with Kim Jong Il]," 26 May 2011; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, "Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu's Regular Press Conference on May 24, 2011," Jiang Yu, 25 May 2011; Lucy Williamson, "China Confirms North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il Visit," BBC, 23 May 2011. Related content is available on the website for the Nuclear Threat Initiative, www.nti.org. This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, or agents. Copyright © 2011 by MIIS. 9 May 2011 Mainland China and Taiwan will cooperate more closely on nuclear power safety and disaster preparedness, according to the Mainland's China Electricity Council. "Taiwan looks forward to signing a nuclear safety cooperation agreement with China at the seventh 'Chiang-Chen meeting' across the Taiwan Strait," said Atomic Energy Council Minister Tsai Chuen-horng. The Chinese government is investing CNY150million (USD23.08million) in nuclear safety programs this year. The Japanese nuclear crisis has caused China to elevate its spending on nuclear safety. —"中国今年将向核安全投资1.5亿 [The Chinese Government is Investing CNY150 Million in Nuclear Safety Programs this Year]," BBC, 14 May 2011, www.bbc.co.uk; 中国电力企业联合会 [China Electricity Council], "两岸核能专家呼吁加强核电与核安全合作机制 [Experts are Urging Cross-Strait Cooperation on Nuclear Power Safety]," 9 May 2011, www.cec.org.; Lin Shu-yuan and Sofia Wu, "Taiwan Plans to Sign Nuclear Safety Pact with China," Central News Agency (Taiwan), 11 May 2011,www.cna.com. 8 May 2011 The most recent release of the International Panel on Fissile Materials' "Global Fissile Material Report" indicates that China may have the smallest fissile material stockpile of the five nuclear weapon states recognized by the NPT. The chapter on China written by the Belfer Center's Hui Zhang states that China holds approximately 16+/-4 tons of highly enriched uranium and 1.8+/-0.5 tons of plutonium available for weapons. The results are lower than previous open source estimates of China's stockpile, but are consistent with a 1999 U.S. Department of Energy estimate. China treats information about its fissile material stockpile as secret, making outside estimates inherently speculative. —Hui Zhang, "China's Fissile Material Production and Stocks," in Global Fissile Material Report 2010: Balancing the Books (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, 2011), chapter 7; "China May Hold Smallest Fissile Material Stockpile among Nuclear Powers," Global Security Newswire, 10 May 2011, www.gsn.nti.org. 7 April 2011 In the aftermath of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi accident, the Chinese government suspends new approvals for the use of marine space in nuclear projects, according to the State Oceanic Administration. This change includes all power stations in the coastal areas. "China's nuclear technologies are advanced and have high standards of safety, but extreme situations will have to be taken into account," said Wang Kan, director of the Institute of Nuclear Energy Science and Engineering Management at Tsinghua University. Chinese authorities are concerned about future natural challenges, such as tsunamis and typhoons. —中华人民共和国国土资源部 [Ministry of Land and Resources of the People's Republic of China], "国家海洋局暂停审理滨海核电项目用海 [China Suspended New Approvals for the Use of Marine Space in Nuclear Projects]," 6 April 2011; Liu Yiyu and Wang Qian, "Marine Areas Off-limits for Nuke Power Stations," China Daily (Edition in English), 7 April 2011, www.chinadaily.com; "China Makes Marine Areas Off-limits for Nuke Power Stations," Asia Pulse, 7 April 2011, www.asiapulse.com. 31 March 2011 "China firmly opposes the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery, and consistently deals with non-proliferation issues in a highly responsible manner," China reaffirmed in its most recent defense white paper. In addition, the paper expresses that "China supports the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the early commencement of negotiations on the Fissile Material Cut- off Treaty at the conference on disarmament in Geneva." Xinhua General News reports that the defense white paper aims to enhance the Chinese military's transparency and boost the world's trust in its commitment to Related content is available on the website for the Nuclear Threat Initiative, www.nti.org. This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, or agents. Copyright © 2011 by MIIS. peaceful development. Scholars from the International Institute for Strategic Studies comment that China's latest defense paper may seem to be more transparent in comparison to the past, but that China "is still circumspect when it comes to revealing details about its military development." —Official Publications, "Full Text: China's National Defense in 2010," distributed by The Central People's Government of The People's Republic of China (English Edition), 31 March 2010, www.gov.cn; "Lost in Translation: China's Opaque Defence White Paper," The International Institute for Strategic Studies, April 2011, www.iiss.org; "China Sticks to No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons: White Paper," Xinhua (English Edition), 31 March 2011. 17 March 2011 China's State Council suspends approvals for 28 planned nuclear power plants due to the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan, according to an official statement issued 17 March. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu states that the executive meeting prioritizes the safe development of the nation's nuclear energy sector, and orders inspections of all nuclear facilities in the country. However, "China will not change its determination and plan for developing nuclear power," in the long-run said Liu Tienan, chief of China's National Energy Bureau. —"China Suspends Approval of 28 Nuclear Plants," The International Herald Tribune, 17 March 2011; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, "Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu's Regular Press Conference," (Edition in English), Jiang Yu, 17 March 2010, www.fmprc.gov.cn; "China Halts Approval for New Nuclear Plants," The Washington Post, 17 March 2011. 23 February 2011 China National Petroleum Corp., China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, and Sinochem Group sign cooperation agreements with companies in Kazakhstan for a large uranium supply, according to the IAEA Daily Press