China’s maritime nuke plants a worry: Experts

Beijing

China has rattled nerves with its military and construction activities on the islands it occupies in the South China Sea, including building runways, though Beijing says most of what it is building is for civilian purposes, like lighthouses.

The Global Times, an influential tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, said the nuclear power platforms could “sail” to remote areas and provide a stable power supply. The paper quoted Liu Zhengguo, head of the general office of China Shipbuilding Industry Corp as saying the company was pushing forward the work. “The exact number of plants to be built (by the company) depends  on the market demand.” He also said demand was pretty strong, without elaborating.

Chinese naval expert Li Jie told the newspaper the platforms could provide power for lighthouses, search and rescue equipment, defence facilities, airports and harbours in the South China Sea.“Given the long distance between the Nansha Islands and the Chinese mainland and the changing weather, transporting fuel could be an issue, which is why developing the maritime nuclear power platform is of great significance,” Li said, using the Chinese name for the Spratlys. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas, and is building islands on reefs to bolster its claims. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the waters, through which about 5 trillion dollars in trade is shipped every year.