Australia, China Sign Uranium Deal

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-aus/2006/apr/03/040300560.html

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australia agreed Monday to sell China uranium for nuclear power stations despite concerns that Beijing could divert the material to atomic weapons.

The countries' foreign ministers signed two agreements containing assurances that China will not build bombs with uranium from Australia, which has 40 percent of the world's known deposits. No official estimates were available Monday but the deal is expected to generate billions of dollars in annual sales.

"These agreements establish strict safeguards, arrangements and conditions to ensure Australian uranium supplied to China, and any collaborative programs in applications of nuclear technology, is used exclusively for peaceful purposes," said Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who signed the Nuclear Transfer Agreement and Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with his Chinese counterpart, Li Zhaoxing.

China is Australia's third-largest trading partner, with trade worth about $21.4 billion a year, supplying the communist nation with key resources such as iron ore and coal that are fueling its rapid industrial expansion.

<more>

[Dead_Parrot]

1. That's weird...

China is already armed to the teeth with 1000+ nukes. Why bother?

[jpak]

2. and Russia has agreed to supply uranium to India

http://indiamonitor.com/news/readNews.jsp?ni=11186

so they can divert more uranium to their weapons program.

Who'd a thunk the NPT would be sunk by an irradiated mango...

[Dead_Parrot]

3. I don't think the NPT ever stood a real chance

Several countries happily signed it before going off to develop nuclear weapons: Since it allows anyone to have nuclear power, and therefore facillities, materials and expertise, the limiting factor seems to be the resources available to throw at weapons development, rather than some old-fashioned idea of law and morality.
:nuke:
Hey ho.