NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS
May 31,
2008: China has signed a deal with
Russia to get Russian technical help in building a uranium enrichment facility
that will supply less costly nuclear fuel for the growing number of Chinese
nuclear power plants. This technology transfer is expected to show up in a new
processing plant for nuclear weapons components.
The deal
is labeled as worth a billion dollars, but the Russians will net a lot less
than that. The Russians also expect the Chinese to steal whatever new
technology they come across. This tech theft has been a growing source of
discord between the two nations, but they are still neighbors, and the Russians
are still willing to deal, especially if they feel the Chinese will soon get
their hands on the technology anyway. For the Chinese, openly buying the tech
has the advantage of bringing in Russian technicians to get the new stuff
online more quickly and reliably. But at
the moment, there is a sharp drop in sales of Russian military technology to
China until mutually agreeable rules are worked out.
