Nuclear energy and spent fuel management in the People's Republic of China

Nuclear research in China dates back to the early days after the foundation of the People's Republic. Since then, China has formed a comprehensive nuclear system and is active in all steps of development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies. The nuclear industry has been built up in China for national defense purposes. Since 1978, when China opened the country to the outside, the emphasis of the industry has been shifted from serving military purposes to serving the national economy and people's life. This new development has three goals: to speed up the development and utilization of nuclear energy; to actively promote the utilization of nuclear technologies; and to transfer the advanced non-nuclear technologies, which were formed along with the development of nuclear industry, to other industrial areas so as to raise their technical levels