Trump warns China as US curbs China nuclear exports

The United States said Thursday that it will increasingly restrict civilian nuclear exports to China as President Donald Trump vowed a hard line on trade, bluntly warning not to think Americans are “stupid.” The US Energy Department said it would make it more difficult to ship nuclear technology to China, one of the few growing markets for new plants as the Asian economy tries to meet rising electricity demand through low-carbon sources.

“The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of China’s efforts to obtain nuclear technology outside of established processes of US-China civil nuclear cooperation,” Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a statement. The measures are the latest salvo in a widening US drive to pressure China, with the Trump administration recently slapping $250 billion in tariffs. The Energy Department said it would not end exports to China but would show greater scrutiny and that there “will be a presumption of denial” for new licenses related to the stateowned China General Nuclear Power Corp.

The company was indicted last year along with a naturalized US citizen on charges of conspiring to develop sensitive nuclear material with US knowhow without going through the required approval process. The US already carefully reviews nuclear exports through the Energy Department’s socalled Part 810 authorizations, which verify if the technology goes to peaceful use and will not be sent to a third country. “For decades China has maintained a concerted, central government-run strategy to acquire nuclear technology to gain economic advantage,” a US official said on condition of anonymity.

The United States last year shipped $170 million in nuclear exports to China, according to official figures. A 2017 Commerce Department report ranked China as the second largest market for US nuclear exporters, second only to Britain. “We understand that the US industry may suffer in the short term from this decision,” the official said. “However, China’s concerted effort to emulate and displace US nuclear products could cause the permanent loss of global markets and domestic jobs in the long run,” he said.