China, Taiwan sign nuclear safety accord

Thursday, 20 October 2011 Taiwan and mainland China have signed a cross-Strait cooperation agreement on nuclear safety and emergency reporting during the seventh round of talks between the two sides in the past three years. The agreement was signed on 20 October in China's northern city of Tianjin by the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF). Under the agreement, China and Taiwan will provide each other with information on their nuclear power plants; regulations and standards for nuclear safety; and exchange their experiences in nuclear safety. It also calls for them to cooperate on nuclear incident communications, environmental radiation monitoring, as well as emergency preparedness and response. According to Taiwan's Atomic Energy Commission, the agreement will promote cross-Strait nuclear power safety information transparency and enhance the safety and operating performance of nuclear power plants so as to ensure the safety of people on both sides.