On 21 April, the first China-GCC Forum on the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology took place in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. It was hosted by the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA). CAEA Chairman Shan Zhongde and GCC Secretary-General Al-Budaiwi both attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Keynote speeches were delivered by Liu Jing, Vice Chairman of the CAEA; Khalid, CEO of the Saudi Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission (NRRC); and representatives of countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in China and representatives of government departments in those countries.

During the forum, the CAEA and the NRRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on safety and security cooperation in nuclear energy development. The MOU aims to strengthen cooperation in nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation, as well as emergency response, by facilitating personnel exchanges, training, and technical collaboration, and the establishment of joint working groups.

In recent years, China has cooperated closely with Gulf Arab countries in nuclear power and applications. In the nuclear power sector, China has engaged in practical exchanges and cooperation with the UAE and Saudi Arabia in areas such as the operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants, the supply of nuclear fuel, the exploration of uranium and thorium, and nuclear safety and security. In the field of nuclear applications, large quantities of China’s radiation detection equipment for security checks have been exported to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and other countries, where it has been widely used at major events.

(Source: China Atomic Energy Authority, China Energy News)