| Publication |
2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Just days after the March 2011 Fukushima accident, China's State Council suspended approvals of new nuclear power plants and created a range of rigorous measures aimed at improving the country's nuclear-safety provisions. It was not until October 2012 that the council cautiously lifted the ban on new construction. Then-Premier Wen Jiabao announced that all newly approved reactors would need to meet third-generation criteria, meaning that they should have certain advanced inbuilt safety features lacking in most conventional second-generation reactors. China's actions demonstrate a new resolve among its leadership to give greater consideration to the safety, rather than the economic benefits, of nuclear power. Fukushima caused concern that a similar accident in China would put the government's nuclear programme, which is the fastest growing in the world, at serious risk. Of even greater concern was the possibility that an accident could strengthen opposition to the rule of the Communist Party.
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