Practice of the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials and Nuclear Facilities in China

China has had a nuclear industry for many years. Since the 1980s,when the reform and opening-up policy was adopted, China hasbeen making efforts to enhance the peaceful uses of nuclearenergy to promote the sustainable development of energy. Thusfar, six nuclear power plants (eleven power reactors) are in operationand several other nuclear power plants are under constructionin mainland China. According to the national mid-longtermnuclear power development plan, the target will be 40GWinstalled capacity and 18GW constructed capacity by 2020.Physical protection is important to ensure the safe operation ofnuclear facilities and to protect the security of nuclear materials inlawful use, production, storage, and transportation, and it plays animportant role in China’s national nuclear materials control system.Nuclear terrorism is a serious threat to the security of thepublic and nuclear facilities and the international community hasplaced great attention on nuclear terrorist activities and adoptedpreventive measures. China supports the International AtomicEnergy Agency (IAEA) in its role in preventing potential nuclearterrorist activities and made active contributions to the amendmentto the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material(CPPNM) for strengthening the international regime onphysical protection.