China establishes nuclear industry alliance to promote technology applications

China on Wednesday announced the establishment of a new nuclear industry alliance aimed at advancing the country's nuclear technology application sector, bringing together key players from the industrial chain, leading nuclear energy corporations, and research organizations. 

At an action conference held in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, the state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) launched the ambitious initiative to build partnerships among enterprises, universities, research institutes and social organizations in the field of nuclear technology application, aiming to form a long-term and stable community of shared interests based on joint investment and common development.

According to CNNC, the alliance will include a council, a secretariat, and committees dedicated to nuclear medicine, irradiation and safety inspection.

"This collaborative platform has been established to facilitate exchanges, cooperation and joint development across the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of the nuclear technology industry chain," said Du Jin, CNNC chief scientist. 

The establishment of the alliance comes after China Atomic Energy Authority and other central authorities jointly rolled out a three-year action plan to promote the nuclear technology application industry, which is expected to see its annual direct economic output value hit 400 billion yuan (about 56 billion U.S. dollars) by 2026.

According to the plan, the development of nuclear technology application industry is an inevitable trend to promote the high-quality development of the nuclear industry, as well as an important means of supporting the transformation and upgrading of the national economy.

Alliance members and stakeholders say they're ready to work hand in hand. 

"We will be a leading unit on the alliance's security inspection committee. We will coordinate with businesses, public institutions, and research organizations in this field," said Li Chengfu, president of Tongfang Co., Ltd, a high-tech enterprise that mainly operates businesses including information technology and applied nuclear technology.

"China Isotope and Radiation Corporation will continue to make efforts in the field of nuclear medicine and equipment and radiation technology," said Zhang Junqi, general manager of China Isotope and Radiation Corporation, the country's largest nuclear enterprise in the aspects of research and development, manufacture, distribution and service of nuclear products. 

By 2026, the independent innovation capability of China's nuclear technology application industry will be significantly enhanced, and the industrial field will be further expanded, according to the government's action plan released in late October. 

Over the next three years, breakthroughs will be made in a number of key technologies, a number of innovation platforms will be built, and new enterprises will be cultivated, focusing on the application of nuclear technology in the fields such as medical diagnosis and treatment, agricultural breeding, food processing, safety and security, said the plan. 

China establishes nuclear industry alliance to promote technology applications

Colombians are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect their next president. The country's constitution prevents the current President, Gustavo Petro, from running for a second term.

Yet, many see this election as a referendum on the policies of Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist president.

There are 14 candidates on Sunday's ballot, but the polls show it will likely be a tight three-way race.

The frontrunner is Ivan Cepeda, a 63-year-old three-term senator, representing President Gustavo Petro's party, the Historic Pact coalition. Cepeda has vowed to defend and deepen Petro's progressive reforms and social justice policies to reduce inequality. He also promises to continue the government's controversial "Total Peace" strategy to negotiate the disarmament of remaining guerrilla groups and criminal gangs.

"True prosperity comes from equality, from access to rights, and from transforming the peripheral and excluded territories of the rural world," Cepeda said at a campaign rally.

Running as a political outsider and independent is Abelardo de la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer, nicknamed "The Tiger." He has presented himself as the "authority and order" candidate who will reduce state spending by up to 40 percent in the next four years.

"(First,) we must fight insecurity. Colombia is suffering today from a pandemic of insecurity. Crime is out of control: extortion, cattle theft, smuggling, drug trafficking," he said to his supporters at an election event.

According to polls, the third candidate with strong support is Paloma Valencia. The 48-year-old senator represents the Democratic Center party led by popular former President Alvaro Uribe Velez. Her candidacy is backed by politicians and economists who are concerned with growing levels of public debt. They want to see a return to more conservative fiscal policies.

"I don't want to be a president who governs alone, locked away in glass offices. I want to be a president who stands with citizens, who embraces them, who reaches out to them, who has a team, and who governs to transform Colombia," the candidate said at the campaign event

According to polls earlier in the year, many voters are expressing concerns about unemployment, rising living costs, corruption, and, above all, public security.

The election comes after a turbulent year that the International Committee of the Red Cross has called "the worst humanitarian consequences of armed conflict over the past decade."

"(We arrive at this election in a tense atmosphere - tense) because of the economic situation, because of the security situation, and because of the narratives that have been built around the country's main problems. On top of that, emotions, ideas and social media have all helped raise (the tone,)" said Eduardo Velosa, associate professor from International Studies Javeriana University.

If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held between the top two finishers on June 21st.

Colombians prepare to choose their next president