U.S., China hold 10th Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology meeting

The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the National Energy Administration of China (NEA) recently convened their 10th Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology (PUNT) Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) meeting, held in Chengdu, China.

The joint meetings develop working groups that examine various issues, including safe nuclear technology and usage, national safeguards, radioactive source security, nuclear-waste management and management of nuclear emergencies. Potential areas of cooperation periodically make themselves apparent during these meetings.

Both countries have been involved in this process since 2002, when the PUNT agreement was reached between the U.S. and China.

“The significance of this 10th PUNT JCC meeting is not the meeting itself, but the growth of U.S.-China cooperation, which has been evident since the first JCC meeting in 2002,” Anne Harrington, the NNSA's deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation, said. “It is important that we are continuing to explore new areas of mutually beneficial cooperation. The sophistication of the topics being studied also is growing, which signals our mutual commitment to work together on the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology.”

Participants at this meeting included delegates from the Department of Energy's (DOE) Offices of Nuclear Energy and Environmental Management and the DOE's National Laboratories.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Departments of State and Commerce were also represented.

The NEA coordinates operations with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the China Atomic Energy Authority and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.