China and Saudi Arabia agreed on Sunday to increase their cooperation on the development and use of nuclear energy.
“The nuclear energy cooperation agreement seeks to establish a legal framework that strengthens scientific, technological and economic cooperation between Riyadh and Beijing, while the two sides reaffirm their desire to place the highest priority on nuclear safety and environmental protection,” a Saudi official told Arab News.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the pact calls for China to aid Saudi Arabia in developing and maintaining nuclear power plants and research reactors and manufacturing and supplying nuclear fuel elements to the Gulf Kingdom. The agreement was signed during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s six-day visit to the Middle East where he will be attending an international energy conference.
The agreement is likely to be viewed with concern in Washington. Many fear that Saudi Arabia will seek a nuclear capability if its bitter-rival Iran decides to acquire its own nuclear arsenal. Indeed, at a security conference last month Saudi prince Turki al-Faisal said that Riyadh will have to seriously consider acquiring nuclear arms if it finds itself between the two nuclear-armed Israel and Iran.
Along with other Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia has expressed increased interest in atomic energy in recent years. Many attribute this interest to the growing concern in the region that Iran will acquire nuclear weapons. Last June Riyadh announced that it intended to build 16 nuclear reactors over the next decades. In 2005 it signed the comprehensive safeguards agreement which limits the inspections the UN nuclear watchdog organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, can carry out in the country. Riyadh has since rejected calls by the United States, Australia and Europe to allow the IAEA to conduct full inspections.
Although the Kingdom has already signed nuclear cooperation agreements with the United States, France and South Korea, the deal with China is likely to heighten concerns significantly. Beijing has a checkered past of selling nuclear technology to suspected proliferators including North Korea, Pakistan and Iran, the first two of whom ultimately acquired nuclear weapons. In recent years, however, China is believed to have significantly curtailed its illicit nuclear exports and in 2004 became a member to the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Still, most experts agree that Saudi Arabia lacks the natural resources, technological infrastructure and scientific expertise to build nuclear weapons for the foreseeable future. More fear that the Kingdom’s oil wealth will allow it to purchase nuclear weapons, most likely from Pakistan whose own nuclear program allegedly received Saudi funding.
During Jiabao’s visit to the Kingdom the two countries released a joint statement that called for strengthening ties in issues like energy and business among others. Saudi Arabia is China’s largest source of oil. The Kingdom has also been reportedly offered to increase the amount of oil it sells to Beijing if the latter reduces the amount of oil it buys from Iran.
Sunday’s joint statement also reiterated both countries support for a U.N. proposal to make the Middle East a Nuclear-Weapons-Free-Zone.
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