China committed to global nuclear security: official

The views on nuclear security expressed by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Nuclear Security Summit demonstrate China's determination and commitment to boosting nuclear security and international cooperation, a Chinese official said Tuesday.[Special coverage]

Xi pledged at the summit that China will unswervingly enhance its nuclear security capabilities, contribute to the establishment of an international nuclear security system, support international cooperation, and safeguard regional and world peace and stability, Miao Wei, Chinese minister of industry of information technology, told a press conference at the end of the two-day event in The Hague.

China gives much weight to nuclear security and strictly fulfills its international obligations by establishing an effective management system to ensure that nuclear and other radioactive material within its borders are strictly regulated and controlled, said Miao.

China's nuclear facilities, nuclear material and radioactive sources are safe and controllable, he said.

China remains an active supporter of international cooperation in nuclear security and it supports the central role of the the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in international nuclear security architecture, according to Miao.

He described the China-US Center of Excellence on Nuclear Security, which is being built in a suburb of Beijing, as a good example of China's participation in international nuclear security cooperation.

The center will be the biggest nuclear security international exchange, training and demonstration center in the Asia-Pacific region, after its expected completion in 2015, he said.

Moreover, Miao said China pays great attention to the safety and security of highly enriched uranium (HEU).

China has eliminated two research reactors using HEU and is now promoting the conversion of a HEU reactor to one using low-enriched uranium.

Meanwhile, China is now helping Ghana convert its HEU research reactor under the framework of the IAEA and the conversion plan is currently under consultation among the relevant parties, he added.

Miao said China always holds that measures to strengthen nuclear security should not hamper the rights of countries to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Maintaining nuclear security is the fundamental responsibility of each country, which should ensure security of nuclear and other radioactive materials in accordance with their respective national laws and international obligations, the minister said.

The summit, the third of its kind since 2010, concluded in The Hague on Tuesday with a communique reached by world leaders to prevent nuclear material from falling into the hands of terrorists.

A total of 58 leaders from countries and international organizations took part in the event to seek ways to boost nuclear security around the globe.