China okays uranium deal with Taiwan

China okays uranium deal with Taiwan

Zee News - http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=286202&sid=WOR

4th April 2006

Beijing - A day after inking a major uranium deal with Australia, China today said it has okayed a similar arrangement with its arch-foe, Taiwan under IAEA safeguards as well as a non-government entity.

"We have taken note of relevant reports. The Chinese government has made some related arrangements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the safeguard and monitoring of China's Taiwan's nuclear activities," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters when asked to comment on the Australia-Taiwan uranium deal.

Liu said that the IAEA has all along conducted safeguards and monitoring of Taiwan's related activities on the basis of a non-governmental entity to ensure its peaceful nature.

Reports from Canberra said that two Australian mining companies recently entered contracts to sell uranium to Taiwan, an island of 23 million people which is viewed by Beijing as a rebel province that must be reunified, even by force.

Energy resources of Australia Ltd, and BHP Billiton Ltd/PLC confirmed that they had contracts to sell uranium to Taiwan.

Australia, which follows the "one-china" policy has an arrangement with the united states in 2002 that made it possible to export Australian uranium to Taiwan via the United States, although contracts were only entered into during the past year, the report said.

Bureau Report