China is accelerating its nuclear energy expansion, approving eight or more new units annually as part of a strategy that prioritizes safety, high-quality development and technological innovation, said a member of China's top political advisory body on Monday.
Lu Tiezhong, chairman of the China National Nuclear Corporation and a member of the 14th National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC),said the sector's mission goes beyond expansion, stressing safe operations and innovation to unlock greater value for China's energy system.
"Eight units or even more are approved each year at the national level, and this trend will not change. That is to say, the role of nuclear energy in the future energy system, in my opinion, will become increasingly prominent. As the manager and operator of nuclear power production, we will first and foremost ensure the safety and stability of the units. Second, we focus on high-quality development to enable nuclear power plants to create greater value," said Lu in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
Lu's remarks come amid the ongoing "two sessions," the annual meetings of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the top political advisory body, the National Committee of the CPPCC. Both bodies serve a five-year term and hold a plenary session each year, generally in March.
The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC kicked off in Beijing on March 5 and March 4, respectively. A main focus is the adoption of the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), a key blueprint guiding China's drive toward modernization.
Lu stressed that China is actively developing nuclear energy, and this strategy is also a key feature of the newly enacted Atomic Energy Law.
To fortify legislation on national and public security, the NPC Standing Committee enacted the Atomic Energy Law to support research, development, and peaceful utilization of atomic energy in accordance with the law, according to a work report delivered by Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, at the second plenary meeting of the fourth session of the 14th NPC in Beijing on Monday.
In line with this vision, China is making significant strides in advanced nuclear technology.
Linglong One, the world's first land-based commercial small modular reactor (SMR), is set to begin operation this year in south China's island province of Hainan.
Located in Hainan's Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Linglong One is globally significant as the first land-based commercial modular SMR to have passed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s safety review.
Lu noted that Linglong One has attracted international attention, with over 1,000 visitors from nearly 90 countries touring its construction site over recent years.
"We have already completed Linglong One's user manual in Chinese and English versions. And under the leadership of the International Atomic Energy Agency, we participated in the formulation of relevant standards for the small modular reactors. Last year, we completed the cold functional test of Linglong One. Currently, the hot functional test is underway. After fuel-loading, it will physically start operation. The overall progress is quite good," said Lu.
Lu said the commercial operation of Linglong One is expected to start in the second half of this year.
Beyond technological advancements, China's nuclear industry has gained international recognition for its innovation and management practices.
Sanmen Nuclear Power Co., a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), is officially named a "Lighthouse Factory" by the World Economic Forum in October 2024.
"Overall, China's nuclear power sector has 27 operating units by far. Most of the units can meet the evaluation standards of the 'Lighthouse Factory.' In fact, we use more on-site detection methods and approaches to provide decision support for our production management. This is the main purpose of the 'Lighthouse Factory,' which is to solve the problems in the field of information, digitalization and intelligence, and empower the power plants," said Lu.
China pushes nuclear growth with safety, innovation: CPPCC member
China pushes nuclear growth with safety, innovation: CPPCC member
"AI Plus" became a central topic of heated discussion among members of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) during the ongoing "two sessions," with members actively offering suggestions from breakthroughs in fundamental technologies to the implementation of industrial applications.
The "two sessions" are the annual meetings of China's supreme organ of state power, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Both bodies serve five-year terms and hold a plenary session each year.
The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee kicked off in Beijing on March 5 and March 4, respectively.
The government work report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang on March 5 included the terms "new forms of smart economy" and "AI agents" for the first time, marking the third consecutive year that the government has prioritized the "AI Plus" initiative.
The draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), submitted for deliberation at the two sessions, also systematically outlines plans for the innovative development of AI and its application across all sectors.
At a group discussion of the 14th CPPCC National Committee members, the core agenda was the deliberation of the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan.
Several members shared their thoughts and insights in their speeches, focusing on the long-term development of the artificial intelligence sector.
Gao Jiangang mentioned what ultimately drives AI, sparking a discussion among other members.
"Some people say that AI ends in energy," said Gao.
"I'd like to echo what member Gao just mentioned, but I want to emphasize that the idea that AI ends in energy is based on current models and existing pathway. Is that pathway the optimal one? Actually, there must be other paths," said Chen Xianhui, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"The competition in AI hinges on architecture, and it ultimately comes down to chip architecture. So, AI ultimately comes down to the chip," said Zhu Songchun, head of the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence.
The debate over what truly represents the ultimate goal of AI development, though generating lively discussion among the members, ultimately pointed to a core challenge for the industry's long-term progress: How to break free from existing technological path dependence and accelerate the achievement of original and leading scientific and technological breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence.
"I suggest, or rather hope, that while the country vigorously promotes current AI technologies, it should also provide strong support for our nation's capable research institutions to break away from the current path dependence," said Gao Jiangang.
"Within this draft outline, I think what should be underscored are original innovation, scientific and technological innovation, and industrial innovation," said Chen Xianhui.
"In the process of supporting the development of emerging technologies, it (the draft outline）also specifically mentions exploring future strategies for emerging technologies, to reinforce AI research. So we can see that in the 15th Five-Year Plan, our country strengthens support for emerging industries and reinforces support for empowering all sectors with AI," said Zhao Xiaoguang, a researcher at the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
During the meeting, members actively offered suggestions on the top-level design and strategic planning for AI development. And out of the meeting, their discussions focused more on how to effectively implement policies and how to bring AI out of the laboratory to achieve deep integration with the real economy and the needs of people's livelihoods.
"You see, recently I've been using AI for programming. I use my wits against two AI agents every day, collaborating with them to create a new product. What I've discovered is, it's the best programmer I've ever worked with. It's smarter than me. Within two or three years, I estimate many companies will have silicon-based teams and carbon-based employees — hybrid teams composed of us humans and AI agents," said Zhou Hongyi, founder of Qihoo 360.
"Currently, in the field of original intelligence, our country is already world-leading in some industries, and our demonstration projects in promoting applications are also doing well. For example, autonomous driving, and the digital humans we are now experiencing, who are making various product introductions in shopping malls, helping to continuously boost our consumption in the consumer sector. So, the application of such digital humans will also create a new model within consumer scenarios," said Zhao Xiaoguang.
"For example, embodied intelligence has already performed remarkably well in areas like combat, performance, and competition. But I believe its applications extend far beyond these. It can also be used in fields like manufacturing, service industries, and agriculture. There are many application scenarios, and this can cultivate many new business formats, new drivers of growth, and new economic opportunities," said Chen Xiaohong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and director of the Xiangjiang Laboratory.
CPPCC members discuss AI development, picture new future for intelligent economy
