President Barack Obama is asking Congress to renew an agreement with China that would allow the two nations to continuing the exchange of nuclear material, equipment and technology over the next three decades
The agreement, which Congress has three months to review, would replace an existing nuclear agreement signed in 1985 and set to expire at the end of this year.
“China has become the world’s largest market for nuclear power plants, equipment, and technology, and Chinese contracts awarded to U.S. nuclear suppliers have created billions in U.S. exports and tens of thousands of American jobs,” National Security Council spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in an e-mail.
The deal drew praise from the nuclear industry, which said it would help ensure U.S. technology plays a role in China’s rapid construction of its energy infrastructure.
“This cooperation easily can bring with it billions of dollars of U.S. exports in goods and services, involve many U.S. supply and sub-supplier companies across the country, and create tens of thousands of American jobs,” Marvin Fertel president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, said in a statement.
Fertel said the development of China’s nuclear energy program would also help China mitigate its carbon emissions -- a key policy goal for the White House. During Obama’s visit to the country last year, China said it would attempt to peak its carbon emissions by 2030.
In a letter sent to congressional leaders on Tuesday, Obama hailed the proposed agreement as “a comprehensive framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation with China based on a mutual commitment to nuclear nonproliferation.”
