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Australia, China sign uranium deal

P. S. Suryanarayana

No merit in China containment policy: Howard

SINGAPORE: China and Australia on Monday signed a major agreement, complete with safeguards, for cooperation in the nuclear energy sector.

The accord was signed in Canberra in the presence of Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao.

Hailing the upswing in Canberra's ties with Beijing, Mr. Howard said, "We do not see any merit at all in any policy of containment towards China."

The pact provides for the supply of Australian uranium to China to meet the requirements of its nuclear power sector.

Mr. Howard later told journalists in Canberra that he was "satisfied that the safeguards that are there [under the international non-proliferation regime] will be enforced."

He emphasised that "it is on that basis that the [latest] agreements [with China] have been signed."

During the same media interaction, Mr. Wen said: "Today, while we signed the agreement on nuclear cooperation between China and Australia, we also put in place a mechanism for safeguards. We believe that this safeguards mechanism will ensure that the nuclear cooperation will not be used for non-peaceful purposes."

He was answering a question how to ensure that the prospective supplies of Australian uranium would not be diverted by China towards its "ongoing weapons programme."

Mutual respect

Maintaining that Australia and China must proceed "on the basis of mutual respect, mutual benefit and equality" in implementing this accord, Mr. Wen emphasised that Beijing is a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Mr. Wen said: "China's foreign policy is open. China does not draw a line on the basis of ideology and China does not enter into alliance with any other country or any other group of countries."

He said, "a very important common understanding" was now reached with Mr. Howard that "China and Australia should work together to build a relationship of all-round cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes in the 21st Century."

Mr. Howard later said at a luncheon in honour of Mr. Wen, "the strength and depth" of Canberra's relations with the United States would "in no way affect the capacity of Australia to interact with and form a close and lasting partnership and friendship with China."

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