One of the world’s largest oil producers, Saudi Arabia, has long investigated the creation of a domestic nuclear energy sector to lessen its reliance on fossil fuels.
The Wall Street Journal has claimed that Saudi Arabia is contemplating a Chinese bid to construct a nuclear power plant in the country due to displeasure with the conditions the United States has placed on helping Riyadh’s pursuit of nuclear energy.
According to the newspaper’s Thursday article, which cited anonymous Saudi officials, the state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has suggested building a nuclear power facility close to the borders with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi authorities anticipate that the Chinese bid to construct nuclear plant would pressure US President Joe Biden’s administration to relax its requirements for supporting the kingdom’s developing nuclear sector, including pledges not to enrich uranium or mine their own uranium resources, the newspaper reported.
The criteria, which are meant to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons, are unlikely to be imposed by China on Riyadh, the newspaper claimed.
CNNC and the foreign ministries of China and Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to Reuters News Agency’s requests for comment.
Saudi Arabia and China’s growing relationship has alarmed Washington in recent years.
In June, at the two-day Arab-China business meeting in Riyadh, the two countries signed investment deals totaling $10 billion. Chinese President Xi Jinping had previously visited the country in December.
Xi has vowed to seek a “pattern of multi-faceted energy cooperation” with Gulf nations on behalf of China, the largest energy user in the world. China has aimed to market its nuclear energy sector abroad in recent years.
A senior Chinese official claimed in 2019 that Beijing may construct up to 30 nuclear reactors abroad as part of its “Belt and Road” development initiative during the ensuing ten years.
Beijing has also increased its diplomatic activities in the area, notably mediating an agreement earlier this year that ended years of animosity between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
One of the world’s largest oil producers, Saudi Arabia, has long investigated the creation of a domestic nuclear energy sector to lessen its reliance on fossil fuels.
The US Energy Information Administration estimates that the kingdom obtains almost all of its energy needs from oil and natural gas.