Saudi Arabia Examines China’s Offer to Build Nuclear Plants. The government of Saudi Arabia is considering the offer offered by China to build a nuclear power plant in its territory. Riyadh’s approval of Beijing’s offer has the potential to thwart plans by the United States US to build a nuclear power plant in the Middle Eastern country. As reported by Reuters Friday 25/8/2023 this was reported by the leading media Wall Street Journal WSJ in its latest report which cited a number of Saudi officials familiar with the matter.
The WSJ report reports that China National Nuclear Corporation
A state-owned company also known as CNNC, has submitted a bid to build a nuclear power plant in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, near the borders of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. CNNC has yet to provide any official response to the WSJ report. Neither the Saudi nor Chinese foreign ministries have commented on the report. Saudi Arabia is known to have previously asked for cooperation with the US in establishing a civilian nuclear program in its country, as part of a possible agreement to normalize relations with Israel. US officials have in the past said they would share nuclear power technology only if the agreement prevented uranium enrichment or the reprocessing of plutonium made in reactors — two pathways to making nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, according to the WSJ report, Saudi officials
acknowledged that exploring the issue with China was one way to encourage US President Joe. Biden’s administration to compromise on non-proliferation terms. The WSJ report also noted that Saudi officials preferred to hire South Korean company. Korea Electric Power to build power plant reactors and engage. US operational expertise, but without agreeing to US mandatory proliferation controls. On the other hand, as reported by the WSJ, Saudi Crown Prince. Mohammed bin Salman is also prepared to immediately establish relations with Chinese companies if talks with the US fail.
Read More : Call of Duty Gamer Forced into Early Retirement Due to Thumb Injury
But apart from that, the WSJ in its report, citing a Chinese Foreign Ministry source, said that. China said it would continue to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in civilian nuclear energy, while complying with international non-proliferation rules.
