TNAG-2828-FCO40-4081-Hong-Kong-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station--Daya-Bay--China-1993 — Page 159

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MDLIAN 08

AT THAT

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POINTED OUT THAT FUEL LOADING WOULD TAKE PLACE IN MAY. TIME WE WOULD CERTAINLY BE ASKED ABOUT LIAISON ARRANGEMENTS WITH CHINA. IT WAS MOST IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOULD HAVE AGREED BY THEN ON THE PROMPT AND FULL EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION ON BOTH ON-SITE AND OFF-SITE EMERGENCIES. THE DIRECTOR OF THE GUANGDONG FOREIGN AFFAIRS BUREAU SAID GUANGDONG ONLY HAD AUTHORITY TO DISCUSS AN OFF-SITE EMERGENCY. HE NONETHELESS SEEMED TO SHOW SOME SYMPATHY FOR OUR POINT OF VIEW AND SUGGESTED THAT WE RAISE THE MATTER WITH NCNA. EHRMAN DID THIS ON 28 JANUARY.

6.

HAD

HE POINTED OUT TO YANG YOUYONG THAT CHINA, LIKE THE UK, ADOPTED THE IAEA'S CONVENTION ON THE EARLY NOTIFICATION OF A NUCLEAR ACCIDENT. THAT CONVENTION REFERRED TO THE NEED FOR STATES TO PROVIDE RELEVANT INFORMATION ABOUT NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. IT APPLIED IN ALL CASES IN WHICH A RELEASE OF RADIOACTIVITY OCCURRED OR WAS LIKELY TO OCCUR, AND WHICH RESULTED OR MIGHT RESULT IN AN INTERNATIONAL TRANS-BOUNDARY RELEASE. IN THAT EVENT, THE STATE IN WHICH THE NUCLEAR REACTOR WAS LOCATED WAS OBLIGED TO IMMEDIATELY TO PROVIDE ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION TO

THOSE WHO MIGHT BE PHYSICALLY AFFECTED.

7. HONG KONG LAY WITHIN THE 50 KILOMETRE RADIUS EMERGENCY

PLANNING ZONE OF THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR POWER STATION. IT OBTAINED 75 PERCENT OF ITS WATER, 34 PERCENT OF ITS FRESH FOODSTUFFS, 84 PERCENT OF ITS LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY, AND 49 PERCENT OF ITS MILK FROM CHINA. IT WAS ESSENTIAL THAT HONG KONG SHOULD BE GIVEN FULL

AND IMMEDIATE INFORMATION ON ALL STANDBY/PLANT/ON-SITE AND OFF-

SITE INCIDENTS. WITHOUT SUCH WARNING, IT WOULD BE TOO LATE FOR HONG KONG TO IMPLEMENT NECESSARY COUNTER MEASURES.

8. EHRMAN SAID THAT WE WERE MOST CONCERNED THAT IN THE TALKS

THAT HAD SO FAR TAKEN PLACE THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NOT ONLY SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DISCUSS ON-SITE EMERGENCIES, BUT THAT EVEN IN THE CASE OF OFF-SITE EMERGENCIES THEY WERE NOT PREPARED

TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO HONG KONG UNTIL THEY DECIDED THAT THE EMERGENCY WOULD POSE A SERIOUS THREAT TO US AND UNLESS THEY HAD

OBTAINED CLEARANCE FROM THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT. THE IAEA CONVENTION MADE CLEAR THAT INFORMATION WHICH MIGHT, NOT JUST WOULD, HAVE A TRANS-BOUNDARY AFFECT HAD TO BE NOTIFIED PROMPTLY.

9. EHRMAN EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE CHINESE SIDE COULD TAKE OUR CONCERNS SERIOUSLY. IF ADEQUATE ARRANGEMENTS WERE NOT IN PLACE BEFORE FUEL LOADING IN MAY THERE WERE LIKELY TO BE SERIOUS POLITICAL PROBLEMS FOR US. WE HOPED THAT OUR REQUEST COULD BE

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