China to give Pakistan two nuclear reactors: report

China has agreed to build two new civilian nuclear reactors in Pakistan, a report said today, amid persistent concerns about the safety of nuclear materials in the restive south Asian state.

Chinese companies will build at least two new 650 MW reactors at Chashma in Punjab province, the Financial Times said, quoting Chinese companies and officials in Islamabad and Beijing.
 
China began building a reactor at Chashma in 1991 and broke ground on a second one in 2005, which is expected to be completed next year, it said.

A statement posted on the website of the China National Nuclear Corporation on 1 March said financing for two new reactors at Chashma was agreed by the two sides in February.

A spokeswoman for the corporation, which oversees China's civilian and military nuclear programmes, said she was unaware of the deal when contacted by a news agency on Thursday.

"Our Chinese brothers have once again lived up to our expectations," a newspaper quoted an unidentified Pakistani official as saying of the deal, which would help Pakistan cope with a crippling energy crisis. "They have agreed to continue cooperating with us in the nuclear energy field."

US president Barack Obama convened a summit in Washington earlier in April that pledged renewed world efforts to secure and safeguard fissile materials from falling into the hands of militant groups. At the summit, Chinese President Hu Jintao said Beijing "firmly" opposed atomic weapons proliferation, while backing civilian uses.
 
The decision to supply reactors to Pakistan, which has a nuclear arsenal and a record of dealing with North Korea, Iran and Libya, reflects China's growing diplomatic confidence. It also reflects Beijing's ambition to become a global supplier of nuclear energy and underscores its view of Pakistan as a prized south Asian strategic partner, the report commented.