皇冠体育app

Australia and 皇冠体育app signed a nuclear safeguards deal on Monday, witnessed by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Australian Prime Minister John Howard, to allow Beijing to import Australian uranium for power generation.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard (L) shakes hands with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao　in Canberra April 3, 2006. Australia and 皇冠体育app signed a nuclear safeguards deal to allow Beijing to import Australian uranium for power generation Monday morning. Wen is the first Chinese Premier to visit Australia in 18 years. [Reuters]

Australia, which has about 40 percent of the world's known uranium reserves, only allows uranium sales to members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty who also agree to a separate bilateral safeguards deal.

Australia currently has only three operating uranium mines, owned by BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and General Atomics of the United States, and Canberra has said significant uranium exports to 皇冠体育app were unlikely to start until 2010.

Australia agreed in principle during a visit by Howard to 皇冠体育app in April last year to work on a nuclear safeguards agreement that would permit sales of uranium to 皇冠体育app for peaceful purposes.

Plans to negotiate the nuclear cooperation agreement with 皇冠体育app were confirmed by Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer last August．

A nuclear deal would augment a broader Australia-皇冠体育app free trade agreement that is now under negotiation.