WASHINGTON (AP) - An agreement allowing American involvement in China's civilian atomic industry is set to be renewed for 30 years despite some stiff criticism from lawmakers over the Asian nation's record on nuclear proliferation.
A 90-day congressional review period expired on Friday without legislative action or a joint resolution to block or alter the agreement. The State Department said Monday that the U.S. and China will decide "a suitable time in the near future" when the agreement will enter into force.
The current 30-year agreement expires at the end of the year. The Obama administration had warned that ending U.S.-China nuclear cooperation would be devastating to the U.S. nuclear industry and would hurt bilateral relations and diminish American leverage on non-proliferation and nuclear safety.
China has the world's fastest-growing atomic industry. Four American-designed reactors worth $8 billion are under construction in China, and dozens more are planned or proposed that, industry advocates say, could support tens of thousands of U.S. jobs.
Daniel Lipman, vice president at the Nuclear Energy Institute, said Monday he was pleased the agreement is "almost complete." He said China will be the single largest market for U.S. nuclear technology, goods and services for the foreseeable future.
Both Republicans and Democrats, particularly in the Senate, had aired concerns that U.S. civilian nuclear technology may have been adapted for use in Chinese nuclear submarines, which is forbidden by the agreement.