нак
J ASHTON ESQ FED/FCO
INCER
Dor Johny
NUCLEAR SAFETY: II
1986
British Embassy
PEKING
1
22 May 1986
CSTAY
Action Taken
107A
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M. Alty, SEE, DM
I as for me pod
Mr. Masefield
Now
no. Rouse
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Rom
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1. Following my letter of 21 May, the People's Daily of 22 May published a report of remarks made by Vice Premier Li Peng following Li's visit to the Daya Bay construction site on 20 May. In a speech to assembled personnel from the joint venture company Li said that the lesson to be learnt from the Chernobyl disaster was that from the very inception of any nuclear energy project safety should come first and quality should come first. Although the Daya Bay reactor would be superior to the Soviet model in technology and in safety precautions that was no reason to relax one's guard. The Chinese had already taken five measures:
2.
(a) the State Council had established a Bureau of Nuclear Safety to be in charge of regulations, standards and the supervision of nuclear energy. Its main focus of attention would be on the Qinshan and Daya Bay projects which had already started work. Subsidiary supervisory Bureaux would be established there;
(b) safety standards in Daya Bay were guaranteed. The equipment being used was French and the French had a great deal : Of experience in those matters. Basically French safety standards would be used, as well as observing the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Authority;
(c) a scientific quality control system for nuclear power station projects would be set up. Whenever there was any conflict between quality and rate of progress, quality would come first;
(a) a trained corps of operators would be established to guarantee nuclear power stations' position as places for the safe production of electricity;
(e) China wanted to learn from international experience in building and operating nuclear power stations, and to exchange safety control and technological information.
The report was carried prominently on the front page of People's Daily. The Chinese are clearly concerned to reassure
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