【10.08.06 印度时报】China shaken by US move to sign nuclear deal with Vietnam

青蛙小王子

BEIJING: China, which has recently dominated the security situation in North Asia, appeared shaken by a surprise move by the US administration to begin negotiations for a civilian nuclear deal with Vietnam.

Washington has confirmed it in negotiation a deal with Vietnam similar to the one it has signed with India. The move has implications for India, which faced Chinese resistance to its nuclear deal with the US. India is also wary about what it regards as China's non-transparent move to sell two more nuclear reactors to Pakistan.

The US move came a day after Vietnam accused China of violating its sovereignty by conducting seismic exploration near disputed islands in the South China Sea. But Vietnam has assured the world it was not interested in enriching uranium or doing anything with a military objective.

“The US is used to employing double standards when dealing with different countries ... as a global power that has promoted denuclearization, it has challenged its own reputation and disturbed the preset international order,” said Teng Jianqun, Deputy Director of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said in a statement.

China, which signed an agreement with the Vietnamese government after negotiations with the Vietnam Atomic Energy Committee in July last year, was hoping to be chosen for nuclear imports until the US delivered the surprise.

China also has a strong economic reason to be upset. A section of foreign investment is moving to Vietnam from south China because of increasing labor and other costs. US assistance for Vietnam’s plans to generate 16,000 mw of nuclear power is bound to hasten the process.

The Chinese foreign ministry has not yet reacted to the move. But the state-run China Daily said the move would hamper global nuclear non-proliferation efforts. It pointed out that the US has also signed a deal with India, which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Indian foreign ministry sources said the move will not impact India-US nuclear deal because it has been accepted by the Nuclear Suppliers Group. The US entering into a transparent deal with Vietnam would only help further the cause of peaceful use of nuclear energy, which is different from the non-transparent deals between Beijing and Pakistan.

The question is whether it will give China further justification to establish two more nuclear reactors in Pakistan.

On its part, Vietnam has indicated it does not intend to enrich uranium or take any measures other than use nuclear technology for purposes other than civilian. “Vietnam doesn’t want to make its international relations complicated,” Vuong Huu Tan, president of the government-affiliated Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute was quoted by a newspaper as saying.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/China-shaken-by-US-move-to-sign-nuclear-deal-with-Vietnam/articleshow/6266844.cms