US tightens nuclear equipment exports to China

Reuters reported on August 18 that the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) under the US Department of Commerce has required exporters to apply for special licenses before exporting certain types of generators, storage devices and software used in nuclear plants in China.

Reactor at a nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the federal agency responsible for nuclear energy safety, also requires exporters to obtain a license to export special nuclear materials and source materials.

Specific materials include various types of uranium as well as deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen that can be used in large quantities in reactors to make tritium, a component of nuclear weapons.

The regulations are supposed to ensure the items are used for peaceful purposes and do not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The NRC said the rule was part of a broader effort by the US government to tighten oversight of certain exports to China.

Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu did not comment on specific regulations but said Beijing opposed actions that "put geopolitical interests above efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation."

According to the NRC, only a small number of exporters use a general license to export materials to China, so the new regulation does not affect many entities or volumes of materials.

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