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German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder discussed with the Chinese government on selling a German nuclear material processing plant during his visit to China early in December this year. Germany was astir when the news came because it touched the sensitive nerve of the coalition government of the German Social Democratic Party and the German Green Party, that is, the difference between the two parties over the utilization of nuclear energy. The Green Party was built up through the anti-nuclear movement. Recent days have seen fierce wrangling between the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party. However, viewed from recent development, things are being transformed toward the direction of approved export.
Hanau plant: the world's largest nuclear fuel rod processing factory
The nuclear material processing factory, built in the 1980s in Hanau of Hessen State in western Germany, is a Siemens' affiliated plant processing fuel rod for nuclear power stations. The plant, built at a cost of 720 million Euros, is said to be the world's largest nuclear fuel rod processing plant. The process flow is like this: mix uranium oxide and plutonium powder in the proportion of 95:5, press the mixture to piece, and then burn it into "pill" at a temperature of 1600 degree C. and finally put it into a 3-4-meter metal rod and weld it. This is the blood of nuclear power stations-fuel rod. The whole production process is completely automated. The designed production capacity of the plant is high enough to meet the need of all the nuclear power stations worldwide.
However, due to the anti-nuclear campaign in the 1980s and the rise of the Green Party, the plant has never produced a single fuel rod after its five-year construction. Germany's current Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer made his debut in the political circle as he served as Minister in charge of environment protection in Hessen and this plant and an old nuclear fuel plant were placed under his administration. After endless debate and complicated safety examination procedure, the old plant was finally closed. The new plant, though designed to be able to survive earthquake and plane crash, due to the firm opposition from the Green Party, however, was at last abandoned after two years' contention of business operators. At that time, the Green Party in the state of Hessen considered destruction of Hanau's nuclear industry as one of its "biggest political achievements".
Two years ago, Russia once proposed buying the equipment of the plant but this deal dropped due to opposition from the Green Party that held that since nuclear energy is no good, it should not be exported to other countries.
Green Party in a dilemma
For the reasons given above, the Green Party expressed its strong opposition to the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's suggestion that the nuclear plant might be sold to China.
Angelika Beer, co-chairman of German Green Party, said that it is ridiculous if Germany, on one hand, has to abandon the nuclear plant while on the other hand prepares to export nuclear equipment. Meanwhile, some members of the Green Party held that the equipment would probably be used for the production of key parts of nuclear weapons, pointing out that the Chinese side should promise not to use the equipment for military purpose.
But today, the Green Party, being one of the two ruling parties in Germany, shoulders government responsibilities. Unlike previous opposition parties, the Green Party's members, Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Minister of Environment Juergen Trittin, said various factors should be taken into consideration when making a decision. Foreign Minister Fischer pointed out that sometimes it is necessary to make "painful decisions", obviously this shows that he is inclined to agree to the intention of exporting the nuclear plant. German Chancellor Schroeder indicated that he would not change his original intention, in his televised speech he said that Siemens has the right to export. He said: "I should not limit the rights of the citizens and enterprises out of whatever motives. The matter is not a political decision but rather a matter of enforcing the law." Schroeder said that China has never considered using the equipment for military purpose.
China won't use it for nuclear weapon production
The Green Party made a resolution clearly indicating its opposition to the export of the nuclear equipment but it had to admit that, based on law, if the deal cannot be checked, the export, under the strict supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will also be "acceptable". Therefore recently the relationship between the Green Party and the Social Democratic Party on this issue was somewhat relaxed. Franz Muentefering, Chairman of the parliament group of the Social Democratic Party, pointed out that this disturbance is completely "a man-made agitation". Fundamentally, the country should take no objection to the sales of an enterprise's property. Muentefering advised people not to think that Germany's law is being enforced all over the world.
A spokesperson for Siemens asked people not to worry that China would make nuclear weapons with Germany's technology, he said that China has no need to produce plutonium with the equipment. An energy expert with Essen University said that China does not need Hanau's equipment to develop nuclear weapons as it has possessed nuclear weapons all the same without such equipment over the past decades.
According to local media reports, Siemens Company is going to sell to China the nuclear plant worth 720 million Euros at a price of 50 million Euros, less than 10 percent of the original price.
(People’s Daily December 26, 2003)
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