From Pacific Forum, November 13:
On Oct. 13 of this year, the PRC state media outlet CPNN, reported that China is pulling ahead in advanced nuclear power technology development with the launch of the large-scale production “Hualong One” (also known as HPR1000). As it develops, China not only aims to tackle the transmission bottleneck in the south, but also to export to countries like Pakistan as the PRC’s “business card” to the world.
China’s dual goals of localization and export orientation have long defined its nuclear strategy. Led by state-owned giants such as the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), Beijing has invested heavily in domestic innovation while aggressively expanding into overseas markets. Beijing has sought to expand its reactor sales to markets such as Argentina and the United Kingdom, while also securing control over upstream uranium resources. CNNC’s 2019 acquisition of Namibia’s Rössing Uranium Mine, one of the world’s largest open-pit uranium operations, underscored China’s growing dominance across the nuclear value.
Beijing’s policy support for state-owned enterprises has enabled it to build a vertically integrated nuclear industry, driving rapid advances in small modular reactors (SMRs), fourth-generation technologies, and nuclear fusion research (the Artificial Sun). Furthermore, intensifying US–China competition is reshaping global nuclear exports and deepening the geopolitical risks of dependence on Chinese nuclear systems.
From domestic reactors to global reach
Domestically, China has achieved a remarkable industrial build-out. Since adopting pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology in 1983 under the Key Points of Nuclear Energy Development Policy, China’s nuclear roadmap has followed a three-step strategy: start with thermal reactors, advance to fast breeder reactors, and ultimately pursue nuclear fusion. The CNP-300, China’s first domestically designed PWR, was the first unit completed in the 1990s and began operation at the Qinshan Phase I plant. This model later became China’s first export reactor, installed at Pakistan’s Chashma Nuclear Power Plant.
Subsequent Qinshan projects, such as the CNP-600 and CNP-650, marked clear improvements in reactor capacity and design. The National Nuclear Power Development Plan (2005–2020), approved by the State Council in 2003, formally set the course for transitioning from second- to third-generation reactors—spurring the development of the HPR1000 and advancing China’s capabilities in both nuclear and conventional island design. China is now largely self-sufficient in reactor design and construction and is pursuing a closed nuclear fuel-cycle as part of its long-term strategy.
Meanwhile, CNNC’s Linglong One (ACP100) SMR is the world’s first land-based small modular reactor (SMR). The reactor began development back in 2010 as part of China’s 12th Five-Year Plan for Energy Science and Technology Development (国家能源科技“十二五”规划) and became the first SMR to pass the final safety review by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2016. The construction of the reactor started in 2021, and the equipment installation and reactor and outer containment dome building were completed in 2025. On Oct. 16 the reactor finished its first cold testing, confirming its proper installation, and is now scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2026.
Apart from the advancement in SMR deployment, China also demonstrates its capacity for building the fourth-generation nuclear reactor. The High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTR-PM) constructed by China National Nuclear Corporation and China Huaneng Group in Shidao Bay is the world’s first fourth-generation nuclear reactor to enter commercial operation. The reactor uses TRISO as fuel, which is enhanced to withstand higher temperatures and enables higher fuel efficiency. Due to the high temperature operation, it uses helium as a coolant. The self-development of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology was initiated in the Medium- and Long-Term Plan for Science and Technology Development (国家中长期科学和技术发展规划纲要) published in 2006. In 2012, the reactor construction started, and it began commercial operation in 2023.
The success back home and IAEA approval of its technology encouraged China to expand its advanced reactor exports to new markets in Southeast Asian countries, in addition to Pakistan, Argentina, and the UK. China started to explore nuclear cooperation in Southeast Asia in 2015, when the China General Nuclear Power Group signed a cooperation agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to train nuclear professionals from its member countries. Since 2022, the China-ASEAN Forum on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology has been held annually, and the focus has shifted from training and research cooperation to how China exports its technology and builds nuclear power plants in Southeast Asia. CNNC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency, and the Chinese government also signed MOUs with Thailand and Malaysia on nuclear power cooperation. SMRs are specifically mentioned in the Indonesian and Thai deals....
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