Lawmaker urges to draw nuclear-safety laws faster

A top legislator said on Monday that the procedure to draft laws related to nuclear and radiation safety should be faster.

Shen Yueyue, vice-chairwoman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the country's top legislature, said the current, 10-year-old Radioactive Pollution Prevention Act is the only law related to nuclear and radiation safety.

"Nuclear facilities and high-level radioactive waste … bear the highest risk, which may lead to the most serious consequences if accidents occur. The issue attracts the most public concern, so we must give high priority to the problem," she said.

Shen said China still has no laws that regulate the use of atomic energy and are dedicated only to nuclear safety, adding that the government is considering more such laws.

Shen was speaking during a forum to mark the 10th anniversary of the Radioactive Pollution Prevention Act, which was released on June 28, 2003, and implemented on Oct 1 that year.

It is the first law in China to manage the production in the nuclear industry, said Yang Changli, deputy general manager of China National Nuclear Corp. "Several new technologies have been developed and applied after the law came out."

He said the law emphasizes the management of industry insiders' qualifications, which has largely promoted the practitioners' professionalism and understanding of nuclear safety.

Seven administrative regulations and 27 department rules have been enacted in the past 10 years, said Li Ganjie, vice-minister of environmental protection.

The rate of radioactive-source radiation accidents has dropped 60 percent since the 1990s, he said.