The media claimed that China will cancel the ban on nuclear power project approval

On the occasion of the first anniversary of Japan’s nuclear crisis, the Chinese government’s nuclear consultants and power company executives stated that Beijing will soon cancel the one-year ban on nuclear power project approvals. They also called for the construction of more nuclear reactors in inland provinces to reduce the dependence of the Mainland on coal.

China’s nuclear safety inspection lasted for one year and exceeded the expectations of most people. But in addition, the outside world knows little about this secret inspection. Despite widespread public concerns and speculation that Beijing may reduce its nuclear program, most mainland officials and experts are still optimistic about the development of nuclear energy. Beijing plans to become the world’s largest nuclear energy company by 2020.

Fukushima's reactor is a second generation. China claims that its reactor construction period is far behind and uses improved technology and is therefore safer than Japan. However, many nuclear experts are still skeptical and point out the fact that there are currently no third-generation reactors built in the world.

The proponents of nuclear expansion criticized the call for a comprehensive security assessment, especially the reduction of China’s nuclear program, calling it an overreaction to nuclear danger. However, critics pointed out many security loopholes, including loose management and legal loopholes.

As the world’s most energy-consuming country, China has long wanted to use the enormous potential of nuclear energy to meet its economic needs, reduce its dependence on coal and significantly increase the proportion of non-fossil fuels in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At present, China has more than 16 provinces and cities announced that they intend to build a nuclear power plant by 2015. This highlights the great desire of local governments to share the huge profits from the development of nuclear power. The economic interests in the field of nuclear energy have spawned corruption and further weakened public trust. This is a question that China needs to pay close attention to in developing nuclear energy.

Japan's original title: China's nuclear development is at a crossroads. The safety supervision mechanism is one of the weakest links in China's nuclear industry. At present, the NDRC, which is responsible for supervising nuclear development, is the most politically competent authority. Civil nuclear supervision is the responsibility of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which has much less power. This unbalanced bureaucracy and the struggles of different stakeholders have hindered the timely updating of China’s nuclear supervision mechanism.

The lack of transparency in the nuclear industry is still a problem. After the nuclear crisis in Japan, there was a panic buying of iodized salt in various parts of China. After the government publicly clarified that it was unnecessary, it still took a long time to settle. This shows that Chinese society lacks a basic understanding of the nuclear issue.