IAEA Holds First Training Course on Nuclear Law in China

“The IAEA’s recent support on our draft Atomic Energy Law was highly appreciated and has been instrumental in our efforts to strengthen the national nuclear legal framework, especially as the draft has now passed its second legislative review and may be adopted later this year,” said Chen Guogang, Deputy Director General of the State Law Department of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the NPC. “As we continue to consider other areas of legislative development such as radioactive waste management and civil liability for nuclear damage, the IAEA’s expertise in nuclear law is expected to be beneficial.”

With the support of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and two of its subsidiaries, the China National Nuclear Power Corporation and Hainan Nuclear Power Co., Ltd, the national training course was conducted in South China's Hainan Province, the location of Linglong-1 (ACP100)?- the world's first commercial onshore SMR located at the Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant. The course brought together more than 60 participants representing over twenty national stakeholders including officials, technical support organisations, law firms and professors from several universities.

Together with the IAEA’s Office of the Deputy Director General for Technical Cooperation, six high-level bilateral meetings were held with the Legislative Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the CAEA, the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), the SNSTC, the CNNC and the China Institute for Atomic Energy (CIAE).

During the meeting with CNNC, Zhaohui LI, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, stated that “CNNC intends to increase the participation in the Agency’s nuclear law related activities as an opportunity to build our own capabilities while also sharing China’s operational experience within the framework of the country’s legal system. This training course provides an excellent platform for the government, industry and other stakeholders to exchange views and further foster a mutual understanding of international and national nuclear law.”

The high-level meetings aimed to raise awareness about the international legal instruments and the importance of a comprehensive national legislation to ensure the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.

Closing the training course on nuclear law, Anthony Wetherall, Head of the Nuclear and Treaty Law Section, IAEA Office of Legal Affairs, highlighted that “The continuous development of a robust and comprehensive national legal framework, together with a growing pool of?professionals knowledgeable in nuclear law, can help underpin the country’s rapid progress in nuclear technology development, including new technologies. We therefore stand ready to continue to support efforts to enhance the legal framework and build capacity in this field, upon request.”

The mission also included visits to the Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant and CIAE’s experimental fast reactor located in Beijing. The mission was conducted within the framework of the IAEA Legislative Assistance Programme and organized through an inter-regional project of the IAEA technical cooperation programme.