pakistan’s

esult of an international outcry over these actions, the transfer prompted China to pledge in May
1996 that it “would not provide assistance to unsafeguarded nuclear facilities—i.e., facilities not
covered by IAEA safeguards.” 13
The depth of China-Pakistan relations was in ample evidence when India was negotiating the
India-U.S. Civil Nuclear Agreement. During that period, Chinese and Pakistani diplomats regularly
consulted as the two governments colluded to delay conclusion of the deal. When Pakistan was
rebuffed ater seeking a similar deal from the United States, China warned Washington that it was
violating international regimes on nuclear matters, and that if the United States made an exception
in the case of India then another country could well assist its own ally. An opinion piece in the
English-language China Daily commented that the United States was adopting a double standard
by viewing Iran’s nuclear program in the context of nonproliferation while partnering with India
on nuclear development. 14 It also recalled that the United States was the first country to impose
sanctions on India ater its nuclear test in 1998. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao
clearly alluded to China extending nuclear assistance to Pakistan when he stated that “relevant
countries could have cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy under the precondition of
fulfilling their due international obligations.” 15
Beijing has followed through on this warning by helping Islamabad build two civilian nuclear
reactors at the Chashma site in Punjab Province under agreements made before China joined the
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in 2004. In June 2008, China agreed to help finance two additional
320 megawatt electrical units at Chashma. In March 2009, China’s Shanghai Nuclear Engineering
Research and Design Institute announced plans to design the Chashma 3 and 4 reactors, with
assistance from China Zhongyuan Engineering Corporation and China Nuclear Industry No. 5
Construction Company. In March 2010, Pakistan announced that China would finance 82% of
the $1.9 billion cost for construction of the Chashma 3 and 4 reactors and provide fuel for the
entire lifetime of the reactors (typically 40 years). In November 2010, the China National Nuclear
Corporation agreed to assist with construction of a fith unit at Chashma, which it was later
revealed would have a 1,000 megawatt electrical capacity. 16 China anticipated controversy due to
the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and guidelines of the NSG but decided it would go ahead. The
status of Chashma 5 is presently uncertain. 17
Most recently, it was discovered that China is about to operationalize a one-gigawatt light water
reactor in Karachi, with plans for two more reactors to be sited there as well. 18 Because China
has used its veto power as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to protect Pakistan,
inspectors have been denied entry to Pakistani nuclear facilities, and inspections, when they occur,
are less than rigorous.
104
NBR
13 “China’s 11 May 1996 Pledge Not to Provide Assistance to Unsafeguarded Nuclear Facilities,” Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey
Institute of International Studies, January 1998.
14 Hu Shisheng, “Strategic Gains at Heart of Bush South Asia Trip,” China Daily, March 7, 2006, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/
doc/2006-03/07/content_527458.htm.
15 “Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Liu Jianchao’s Regular Press Conference on 9 October 2007,” Consulate-General of the PRC in Mumbai,
October 9, 2007, http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/cgmb/eng/fyrth/t370983.htm.
16 Nick Cunningham, “Why China’s Nuclear Plans in Pakistan Draw Global Criticism,” Christian Science Monitor, March 11, 2015, http://www.
csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2015/0311/Why-China-s-nuclear-plans-in-Pakistan-draw-global-criticism.
17 World Nuclear Association, “Nuclear Power in Pakistan,” April 2015, http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/
Countries-O-S/Pakistan.
18 Madhav Nalapat, “China Gits Pak Mega Nuclear Power Plants,” Sunday Guardian, August 2, 2014, http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/
china-gits-pak-mega-nuclear-power-plants.
SPECIAL REPORT u FEBRUARY 2016