US, China deal to share nuke technology

BEIJING, June 30: The US has reaffirmed its commitment to work together with China in the field of nuclear technology. Justifying the Sino-U...

BEIJING, June 30: The US has reaffirmed its commitment to work together with China in the field of nuclear technology. Justifying the Sino-US agreement on nuclear technology signed yesterday by which Washington would transfer nuclear power technology to Beijing, US Assistant Secretary of Energy Robert Gee cited China’s accession to international treaties and nuclear safeguards in this regard.

“The Sino-US agreement on peaceful use of nuclear technology signed here on Monday is a direct result of the progress that US and China had achieved together in the area of nuclear non-proliferation,” Gee said. “The agreement is designed to require both parties to share knowledge gained through these technologies….,” Gee told newspersons here yesterday.

He said the signing of a government-to-government agreement on nuclear cooperation has reaffirmed America’s strong commitment to work together on a variety of nuclear technology related areas, which will be beneficial to both countries to address the energyneeds for the next century.

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The agreement, Gee said, would not pose any threat to others since the provisions to which both the signatories are bound to, are multilateral agreements involving a member of the IAEA. The IAEA member, which would provide for monitoring of uses of civilian nuclear technology, would act as a watchdog to ensure peaceful uses of the technology.

China will join WTO before long, says Clinton

US President Bill Clinton said here today China will join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) “before too long”, but Beijing must open its markets further. The comments came on a live radio talk show in which the US leader took part to meet and talk to people of `new China’.

“I think it is important for China to be a member of WTO because it is a major economic power which will grow larger over time,” he told Shanghai radio’s estimated 10 million listeners. “I think we’ll get there. I think we will reach an agreement before long,” he said. He stressed Washington was not tryingto keep China out of the global trade body, saying it supported China’s accession to WTO, one of the thorny issues in China-US ties.