China said yesterday it could “learn lessons” from Japan as it develops nuclear power facilities after cooling systems at two reactors northeast of Tokyo failed following a massive earthquake, prompting fears of a meltdown.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from around the plants as the authorities were reported as saying nuclear plant Fukushima No. 1 “may be experiencing nuclear meltdown,” after Friday’s magnitude 8.9 earthquake.
“We can learn lessons from Japan in the development of nuclear power in China,” Vice Minister of Environmental Protection Zhang Lijun (張力軍) told reporters on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress.
However, “the plan and determination to develop nuclear power in China will not change,” he added.
China has 13 nuclear reactors and has given the green light to plans for 34 others, 26 of which are already under construction, according to previous media reports.
Zhang said China was “closely monitoring” the impact of the earthquake, the biggest in Japan’s history, on the nuclear plants located about 250km northeast of greater Tokyo, an urban area of 30 million people.
Parts of Fukushima No. 1 reactor’s nuclear fuel rods were briefly exposed to the air after cooling water levels dropped through evaporation, and a fire engine was pumping water into the reactor, Jiji Press reported.
The water levels were recovering, operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said, according to Jiji.
“We believe the reactor is not melting down or cracking,” a TEPCO spokesman said.
China has been checking its coastal cities for “the possible influence of nuclear leaks from Japan” but so far test results have been normal, Zhang said, adding that China’s nuclear facilities were safe.
Beijing has increased investment in nuclear power in an effort to slash its world-leading carbon emissions and cut its heavy reliance on coal, which accounts for 70 percent of its energy needs.
China, which is the world’s biggest energy consumer, according to the International Energy Agency and aims to generate 15 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020.
The military is to begin conscripting civilians next year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. The Cambodian parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier. “This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and
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