A nuclear reactor of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in Taishan, Guangdong Province, Oct. 17, 2013. China is signing deals to export its nuclear power technology. (Photo : REUTERS)
China is facing criticism with its plan to build new nuclear reactors in Pakistan, which is not a signatory of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
A core tenet of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a coalition of nuclear technology exporting countries, is to not trade nuclear technology to countries that have not signed the treaty.
Pakistan, along with India, Israel, and South Sudan, are the world's four remaining holdouts to the treaty.
China has confirmed its plan for six reactors and says that it will probably build more. It will double the size of the Chashma power plant, which it equipped with two reactors in 2000 and 2011.
The country is also constructing a new nuclear power plant near Karachi using their ACP-1000 design.
The two reactors under construction near Karachi will provide Pakistan with 2.2 gigawatts of nuclear capacity.
The construction of nuclear reactors in Karachi has raised safety concerns as it is sited a mere 20 miles from a city with over 20 million people.
The threat of terrorism in such an unstable country worries not only U.S. diplomats, but Pakistani civil society as well.
Karamat Ali, head of Karachi-based non-profit organization Pakistan Institute for Labor Education and Research, questioned Pakistan's ability to safely operate the new reactors.
He noted that even highly advanced countries such as the U.S., Soviet Union and Japan were not able to prevent nuclear disasters.
"Those are three highly advanced countries," said Ali. "This is Pakistan. We don't live on technology and science. In fact, we are quite allergic to that."
Furthermore, Karachi is prone to earthquakes and cyclones, which could spark a nuclear catastrophe if the project pushes through.
