NUCLEAR PACT WITH CHINA WINS SENATE APPROVAL

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Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP90-00965R000504870050-6
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RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
February 8, 2012
Sequence Number: 
50
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
November 22, 1985
Content Type: 
OPEN SOURCE
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PDF icon CIA-RDP90-00965R000504870050-6.pdf93.21 KB
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504870050-6 WASHINGTON POST 22 November 1985 Nuclear. Pact, With China Wins _Senate Approval Absent Critics Taken by Surprise By Joanne Omang' Washington poet staff writer The Senate gave unexpected ap- proval yesterday to President Rea- gan's proposed nuclear trade agree- ment with China, paving the way for U.S. firms to begin exports to Pek- ing after Dec. 11. Passage by voice vote during a break in debate on the farm bill sur- prised some leading critics,. who were not present. The verdict fol- lows committee action last week attaching conditions drafted by a leading critic of the measure, Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) But other critics, who joined Cranston in arguing that the orig- inal agreement did not provide ad- equate safeguards against the spread of nuclear weapons, main- tain that the new conditions are in- sufficient. Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) was among the latter, calling the pact a "bold and alarming step backwards" in U.S. support for the international nonproliferation regime." The 30-year pact, first initialed during. President Reagan's trip to Peking in April 1984, establishes the legal framework to allow the U.S. nuclear industry to bid for a share of China's estimated $6 bil- lion nuclear power plant construc- tion program.The House is expect- ed to approve an identical version of the agreement soon. In a speech after the vote, Glenn said that he had not tried to amend the measure further because ex- tending debate beyond Dec. 11 would have caused the original ver- sion to take effect automatically. "I certainly prefer to have the compromise resolution, flawed as it is, than to have nothing," Glenn said. Cranston contended that his changes provide "very effective safeguards without requiring any renegotiation of the agreement with China." He noted that the For- eign Relations Committee vote last week was "a pretty solid" 14 to 3. "You'll never get a perfect agree- ment, but I. think we've got a pretty good one," he said. In a statement, the State Depart- ment agreed; saying: "This resole'-, tion in no way undercuts the imple- mentation of our agreement with China." It promised to *cohditm`to develop a dialogue MW, [Chihal on nonproliferation policy `a W'riUdWr cooperation" and a dial ogrtie ivlih Congress on U.S.-China relatidns The pact was conttoversit' Rjn the outset because of China s'ur vious endorsement of nuclear pro- liferation its unwillingness to sub- mit to International tonne: ner Agency (IAEA) safeguards, and in- telligence reports that, technicians had been helping ?at a suspected Pakistani bomb-deXebp- ment Vie. Administration officials.' sought additional Chinese assurancessI Al- though these were verbal, the Oct was submitted to Congress during the visit here of Chinese President Li Xiannian last July. After the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and others raised con- cerns, Glenn proposed amendments that would have required .Cl}i':to clarify its nonproliferation pojipy in writing, formally recognize tbat U.S. laws supersede any. provisions of the pact and acknowledge that the approval of future peques' permission to reprocess U.S. plied fuel is not guaranteed. Glenn's version also would have required presidential' certification that all U.S. exporters: observe IAEA or equivalent..safeguards. . Cranston's language requires the president' to certify-only- that vre- ciprocal arrangements [with China] are effective in ensuring- peaceful uses" of nuclear technology licensed and resold by China. "The message this sends to the entire world is that the IAEA sys- tem of safeguards is more intrusive than it needs to be," Glenn said. Cranston said yesterday that his compromise wording will, still re- quire the administration to "clarify some loose ends" with. China, al- though it does not require further Chinese action. Instead, it requires that the pres- ident certify to Congress that China has provided "additional informa- tion" proving it is not helping to spread nuclear weaponry, that U.S. laws will be observed and that re- processing approval is not guaran- teed. The resOlutiop'alsb adds'that'the terms of this pact will not set a pre- cedent for deals with other nations. STAT Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504870050-6