TMCnet News
China and Australia to sign nuclear deals(UPI Top Stories Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)China and Australia will sign deals on nuclear energy and uranium exploration during Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Australia, China's Foreign Ministry said. Liu Jieyi, the ministry official in charge of North American and Oceanian Affairs, told a press conference Monday that the two countries were focused on peaceful nuclear goals, and would follow International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. Two agreements are in the works -- a general one on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and a more specific deal on uranium mining exploitation, the official China Daily reported Tuesday. Australia has more than 40 percent of the world's known uranium reserves, with three working uranium mines. Liu said more than 90 percent of China's energy demand has been met by domestic supplies since the 1990s. China's rapid economic growth has spurred increasing demand and caused it to look beyond its borders for energy resources, however. Trade volume between China and Australia reached $27 billion last year, up 33 percent over the previous year. Wen will arrive in Canberra Saturday, the first stop on a tour that will also take him to New Zealand, Fiji and Cambodia. |