The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, spurred Chinese military researchers to consider the risks toward nuclear facilities, according to a study by China’s People’s Liberation Army.
Beijing brought the total number of commercial reactors, both operational and under construction, to 102 last month, according to Beijing publication South China Morning Post. Since China has more reactors than any other country, the plants could become “prime targets in wartime.”
“China remains in a critical period of strategic opportunity, but nuclear power plants and other key infrastructure face real and evolving risks amid complex international and domestic environments,” the paper said. It cited the repeated attacks on Zaporizhzhia and added that nuclear plants “would inevitably become high-value targets for adversaries in war, armed conflict or terrorist attacks, posing grave threats to lives and property.”
Coinciding with the paper, China and Russia released a joint statement on the Kremlin’s website May 9 accusing the U.S. of escalating nuclear conflict by developing initiatives like the Golden Dome missile defense and AUKUS, which both sides say “undermine strategic stability.”
“The two sides note with concern that against the backdrop of aggravation in the relations between nuclear-weapon states, which in some cases has escalated to the threat of a direct military clash, a critical mass of problems and challenges has accumulated in the strategic sphere, and the risk of nuclear conflict has increased,” the statement said.
