Washington, DC: According to Voice of America (VOA ), the US military warned that China is working toward building floating nuclear reactors in the South China Sea to halt its claim to the disputed maritime territory.
The construction of ships using smart nuclear energy sources, according to experts, may cause tensions with its neighbors and pose risks to the atmosphere.
The coastal nuclear energy platforms were described by Chinese media reports as tiny plants inside ships that would serve as portable “power banks” for stationary and other ships at sea, according to VOA.
But, Beijing reportedly suspended the job a year ago due to concerns about safety and effectiveness, according to the South China Morning Post.
However, the US Indo-Pacific Command’s retiring captain, Admiral John Aquilino, and State Department Admiral John Aquilino, announced this month that China is nonetheless building floating units to provide power to disputed islands.
Admiral John Aquilino claimed their development may destroy regional stability and security, citing US officials who stated that the implementation of such reactor may take several years.
Following this, next year, the Philippines echoed those problems.
According to Jonathan Malaya, director general of the Philippines ‘ National Security Council, China will use its floating units to power military installations it has constructed on artificial territories, including those that are within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
He added that the South China Sea’s contested regions may be militarized even more by China’s nuclear flowers.
According to him, “anything that encourages their military presence in those islands constitutes essentially a danger to our national security and conflicts with our interests,” he continued, noting that Australia and the US would participate in joint patrols in the South China Sea as reported by VOA.
According to Beijing’s states, they have power over nearly the whole South China Sea, putting it in debate with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
China has now constructed artificial islands with planes for airports to bolster its claims.
According to the analysts, Beijing’s floating units may provide it an excuse to expand its reach through security measures as well as improve its military presence in the area, according to VOA.
Song Yanhui, director of the International Law Society of the Republic of China, Taiwan, said that the current military security zone for China’s artificial islands is a radius of 500 meters ( 1, 640 feet ), which means, other aircraft and ships that enter this radius can be legitimately expelled.
Song continued that China might use the excuse of avoiding nuclear waste to drive away boats from larger areas or taking protective measures if it constructs a floating nuclear power plant in the South China Sea.
For Beijing, he said,” It kills two birds with one stone. It is a win- get technique. It may improve its military appearance, civil use and declare to sovereignty”.
But the potential for energy leaks is a real problem, experts said, reported VOA.
Pankaj Jha, professor of study at Jindal Global University in India, pointed out that China’s lack of experience with operating like drifting reactors could spell disaster.
He said,” It poses a risk because it will contaminate water and also the surrounding areas.” Any energy drip may render the island uninhabited, and it might also have an impact on South China Sea fishermen.
The researchers added that the floating units may also serve as military targets in the event of a conflict with China, according to VOA.
China has deployed radars, anti- fleet and anti- plane missiles, and fighter jets, among various weapons, on the contested territories of Mischief Reef, Subi Reef and Fiery Cross, the three largest synthetic islands in the Spratly Islands.
The International Assessment and Strategy Center’s senior fellow, Richard Fisher, emphasized that floating nuclear power plants might one day increase China’s arsenal.
” If they were protected, these nuclear power plants could also potentially power future energy weapon devices”, Fisher said. ” Military devices that could destroy them or very powerful microwaves that could destroy them could also disable missiles and aircraft that would enter their range,” according to the statement.
Notably, China is not the first country to think of building floating nuclear reactors.
The US took the lead in proposing the concept in 1970 but due to safety concerns, they did not quickly pursue development, reported VOA.
Russia is the only nation to successfully implement a floating nuclear power plant, with the company running it from a port in Pevek, a town in the Arctic Circle, since 2020.
At a forum in Vienna earlier in November last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed concern about the development of floating nuclear reactors, especially when they cross international borders or operate in international waters.
In a press release, IAEA Deputy Director General Lydie Evrard stated that the IAEA is working with our member states to determine what additional guidelines and standards might be required to ensure the safety of floating nuclear power plants.
The IAEA further noted that Canada, China, Denmark, South Korea, Russia and the US are each working on marine- based” small modular reactor designs”.
