Obama Submits to Congress 30-year Civil Nuclear Power Agreement With China

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama submitted to Congress a 30-year civil nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and China for approval, the White House announced on Tuesday.

“The proposed agreement provides a comprehensive framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation with China based on a mutual commitment to nuclear nonproliferation,” Obama said in the letter to Congress.

“It would permit the transfer of material, equipment (including reactors), components, information, and technology for nuclear research and nuclear power production,” he added.

The Obama administration argued that China, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and other nuclear-related international conventions, has sufficient controls on the proliferation of dual-use and missile-related transfers to ensure the proposed agreement meets US nonproliferation and foreign policy interests.

China and the United States are the first and second largest producers of carbon emissions, respectively, prompting the two countries’ leaders to announce in 2014 for emission reduction targets of 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.

China also pledged to increase its non-fossil fuel energy use to 20 percent by 2030. China is currently heavily reliant on burning “dirty” coal to produce energy.

The US Congress has to approve the nuclear cooperation agreement for it to go into effect.