Australia’s discriminatory uranium policy

Australia has some 40% of the world’s uranium deposits but no nuclear power plants. China has nine civilian nuclear power plants and is planning to build 30 more over the next 15 years to meet a rapidly growing appetite for energy. However, supplying uranium to China will have serious strategic implications for regional geo-politics, indeed for the world. Therefore these agreements should not be seen as strictly commercial arrangements.

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Some have questioned Canberra’s decision to supply uranium to China but deny access to India – another rising Asian giant with a growing appetite for energy. That decision has already created a great deal of consternation across the region. The Australians argue that China being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) makes it eligible to receive its uranium, whereas India’s refusal to sign the treaty is why the government will not supply uranium to India.

But even though China signed the NPT, it has not always acted responsibly. It is widely believed that Beijing has supplied nuclear technology to North Korea and Pakistan, states run by autocrats and military dictators, and has nuclear ties with Iran. On the other hand, India has never proliferated nuclear weapons or technology to third parties despite not having signed the treaty because it believed it to be discriminatory. It is unfortunate that Canberra has disregarded this salient point and avoids the issues behind it on technical grounds.

Asia Times