China aims to launch a series of offshore nuclear power platforms to promote development in the South China Sea, state media said yesterday, days after an international court ruled Beijing had no historic claims to most of the waters.
Sovereignty over the South China Sea is contested by Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, and any move to build nuclear reactors is bound to stoke further tension in the region.
The China Securities Journal said 20 offshore nuclear platforms could eventually be built in the region, as the country seeks to “speed up the commercial development” of the South China Sea.
“China’s first floating nuclear reactor will be assembled by the China Shipbuilding Industry Corp’s (CSIC, 中國船舶重工集團公司) subsidiary, Bohai Heavy Industry (渤船重工), and the company will build 20 such reactors in the future,” the newspaper said.
“The marine nuclear power platform will provide energy and freshwater to the Nansha Islands (南沙群島),” it said, referring to the disputed Spratly Islands.
The newspaper cited a social media post by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC, (中國核工企業集團), which has since been deleted.
The Global Times, an influential tabloid published by the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, announced similar news in April and said the nuclear power platforms could “sail” to remote areas and provide a stable power supply.
“The news is old,” an expert with the China Nuclear Energy Association said.
“It is repeated in reaction to the latest South China Sea disputes,” the expert, who declined to be identified, told reporters. “Little progress has been made on building such a small reactor.”
When asked at a daily news briefing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang (陸慷) said he did not know anything about the plans.
Floating reactors were first proposed in the US in the 1970s, but then abandoned. The first demonstration of the technology is due to be launched in Russia next year.
“This will need several years of design and safety analysis before it can go into full construction,” Xiamen University School of Energy Research dean Li Ning (李寧) said.
A spokesman for CNNC told reporters the floating reactors plan had been drawn up by its affiliate, the Nuclear Power Institute of China, and a final decision would be made by CSIC.
CSIC was not immediately available for comment.
In related news, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed with his Vietnamese counterpart that an arbitration court’s decision this week on the South China Sea must be observed, Japan’s Kyodo news agency said yesterday.
The court in The Hague ruled that China has no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and that it has breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights with its actions, infuriating Beijing, which dismissed the case as a farce.
Abe and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc were in Mongolia for a summit of Asian and European leaders.
Meanwhile, the China Coast Guard prevented Filipino boats from fishing around Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島), Philippine officials said yesterday.
A dispute over the shoal, 124 nautical miles (229.7km) northwest of the Philippines was one of Manila’s main reasons for bringing international legal action against China in 2013.
Military officials and fishermen in northwest Pangasinan province said coast guard vessels remained in place at Scarborough and were still preventing fishermen from entering the shoal’s lagoon.
Many boats have stayed away until the situation becomes clearer, officials said.
“The fishermen here have a wait-and-see attitude and are feeling their pulse whether it is safe to go to Scarborough,” Luis Madarang, an official responsible for fishing in the town of Infanta, said by telephone.
“We are not stopping them, but cautioned them to stay away from any trouble in the area. It will not help the situation if they will challenge the Chinese who are still there,” he added.
Taiwan last night blanked world No. 1 Japan 4-0 to win the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time. Taiwanese ace Lin Yu-min (林昱珉) held defending champions Japan to just one hit and no runs in the first four innings, before catcher Lin Chia-cheng (林家正) opened the fifth inning with a solo home run. That was soon followed by a three-run homer from Taiwanese captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) to put Taiwan ahead in the prestigious tournament of the world’s top 12 baseball teams. In addition to a superb performance from 21-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Lin, three more Taiwanese pitchers
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
Taiwan yesterday advanced to the gold medal match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time in history, despite last night losing 9-6 to Japan. Taiwan advanced after the US defeated Venezuela in the first game on the last day of the Super Round. However, the US had no chance of advancing to the championship game unless it defeated Venezuela by at least nine points. The US won 6-5. As a result, the two teams — who both had one win and two losses in the Super Round — are to face off again in the
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said she would tender her resignation following criticism of her handling of alleged bullying by Ministry of Labor Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) resulting in the death of an employee. The ministry yesterday gave Hsieh two demerits and said she is subject to review by the Disciplinary Court. The severest possible punishment would be her removal from office and being barred from government jobs indefinitely. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) also received a major demerit and was transferred to another position. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued a formal apology
RSS