Sixty per cent of the reactors under construction in the world today are in China.
ISLAMABAD: On many an occasion, US officials have said that Pakistan is not eligible for a nuclear deal. That said, Pakistan has created a firm case for the transfer of civil nuclear technology from Western countries for its energy needs, but these countries are supporting the double standard of the US on nuclear technology by not engaging with Pakistan.
We should note that the India-US nuclear deal had not only violated the NPT, it also violated America’s own law, the Hyde Act of 2006. In contrast to the India-US deal, the Pakistan-China agreement is only for power generation and has legal cover. Furthermore, nuclear cooperation between China and Pakistan materialised long before China became a member of the NSG or the NPT. Even Germany has said that the Chinese export of reactors to Pakistan is covered by existing policies and understandings of the NSG. Since joining the group in 2004, China has played according to the NSG’s voluntary rules, despite a long tradition of nuclear association with Pakistan. The US and other NSG states may object to the Pakistan-China nuclear deal but they cannot stop China from exporting the reactors.
China is an emerging nuclear giant. Sixty per cent of the reactors under construction in the world today are in China. It is a main supplier of components for US nuclear power plants under construction. Britain has allowed Chinese companies to buy majority stakes in British nuclear power plants. Australia and Canada have inked nuclear agreements with China and China’s Atomic Energy Agency is cooperating with 31 members of the OECD.
When no legal grounds could be made against Pakistan-China nuclear cooperation, a smear campaign was started alleging that Pakistan was going to use reactors built by China but which are yet to be tested. In reality, China is constructing the new design before the US could and hence the attack on the deal; China is likely to become the first country in the world to use new reactor designs and test them at full size.
China has always played a foremost role in the development of Pakistan’s nuclear infrastructure and has emerged as Pakistan’s supporter to overcome its recent energy crisis. The nuclear partnership between Pakistan and China is justified on all grounds.
Hasan Ehtisham
Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2014.
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