China's position of opposing Japan's unilateral ocean discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater remains unchanged, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday.
Mao made the statement at a press conference in Beijing in answering a media inquiry on whether China recognizes the safety of the discharge, as China's General Administration of Customs said Sunday that China will conditionally resume imports of certain aquatic products from Japan.
"China's position of opposing Japan's ocean discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater remains unchanged. It is precisely because of China's firm stance and active efforts that international oversight of the discharge has been significantly strengthened. We will continue to work with the rest of the international community to urge Japan to translate its commitments into long-term, concrete actions and to effectively manage the risks of the discharge," Mao said.
According to the General Administration of Customs, China will not resume seafood imports from Fukushima and nine other prefectures. And it also comes on the premise that the Japanese government has pledged to ensure the safety of aquatic products exported to China.
In 2011, the cores of three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan melted down following a major earthquake and tsunami. At least 1.3 million tons of nuclear-contaminated wastewater has been accumulated in the plant, including water to cool the reactor, groundwater and rainwater.
Disregarding domestic and foreign questioning and protests, the Japanese government decided in April 2021 to filter and dilute the nuclear contaminated water from the Fukushima plant and started the ocean discharge of the radioactive wastewater on August 24, 2023. This process is expected to last 20 to 30 years, until the nuclear power plant is scrapped.
China's opposition to Japan's unilateral ocean discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater remains unchanged: spokeswoman
