Beijing’s civil nuclear program has made considerable growth in recent years. As early as 2000, China was considered a nuclear technology backwater with only three commercial reactors, compared to over 100 in the United States. Today, China has 35 reactors with 20 under construction. By 2030, it is projected to have 150 giga- watts of nuclear on line—roughly equivalent to Germany’s total capacity in electricity—while the U.S. nuclear fleet is expected to shrink by 20 percent or more. In little more than a decade, China could have twice the number of civilian reactors as the United States.
With the decline of its own civil nuclear program, the United States needs ROK’s nuclear prowess to strengthen its own market position and help uphold its nonproliferation and safety goals, especially with the looming threat of a Chinese commercial nuclear monopoly. Furthermore, the ROK provides the United States with additional foreign commercial opportunities and critical added investment.
The Great Game between China and Japan, the Role of Infrastructure Development, and the American Wild Card
INTRODUCTION Chinese policymakers are grappling with the country’s growing dependence on oil imports. Self-sufficient in crude as recently as the early 1990s, China is expected...