BEIJING, Sept. 6 -- China's achievements in nuclear development and commitment to nuclear safety, as stated in its recently published white paper, contribute to global nuclear safety governance, experts have said.
China stated its stance on developing nuclear energy as an established policy in its first white paper on nuclear safety released on Tuesday, vowing to strengthen international cooperation and build a community of shared future for nuclear safety.
Titled "Nuclear Safety in China," the white paper was released by the State Council Information Office to elaborate on China's basic principles and policies in the field, share the concepts and practices of regulation and clarify its determination to promote global nuclear safety governance and the actions it has taken to achieve this.
Tony Roulstone, a lecturer in nuclear energy at the University of Cambridge, said the release of the white paper is "a significant public event" that commits China to an open and independent safety regulatory system.
"Continuing to build confidence in the Chinese nuclear energy program will be an important contribution to more widespread deployment of nuclear energy in response to climate change," he said.
Itzhak Orion, head of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, said the white paper provides rich information and proposals on nuclear safety.
The white paper shows that China is open-minded and transparent, and gives "good knowledge regarding the operation of nuclear power plants" to other countries to make the nuclear industry safer, Orion said.
Yonatan Freeman, a researcher at the Political Science Department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the white paper "seeks to bring forward the principles and policies China is planning on adhering to when it comes to nuclear safety at home and abroad, as well as the future actions it plans on taking."
The white paper also shows the progress China has made in nuclear safety over the years, noted Freeman, adding that to make the nuclear industry safer, there must be more international cooperation and training so that countries can teach one another as to how to prevent accidents as well as how to respond to them.
"The document would play a positive role in this," he said.
Jonathan Cobb, senior communication manager at the London-based World Nuclear Association, said the release of the white paper "reiterates China's long-standing commitment to safety."
"Nuclear power has a very important role to play to help China diversify its energy supply, and to improve its environmental performance by reducing air pollution and tackling climate change. We hope China will accelerate its new nuclear building program to achieve these environmental and energy supply goals," he said.