China's legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, on Saturday voted to join the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.

 

The legislature agreed that the Chinese government will maintain its own interpretation of the term "transnational transportation" and that the treaty does not apply to the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) of People's Republic of China until notice is given by the government of People's Republic of China.

 

Joining the convention will be conducive to the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste and the promotion of the healthy development of the country's nuclear industry.

 

Forty nations have signed up to the convention since it came into effect in June 2001.

 

The convention only applies to the management of spent fuel generated from civil nuclear reactors and radioactive waste from civil operations, it excludes military and national defense applications.

 

It sets requirements for the location, design, construction, safety evaluation, operation and retirement of disposal facilities.

 

Every signatory country is required to adopt legislative, supervisory and administrative measures under its own legal framework to meet the requirements.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2006)