China supports IAEA efforts to ensure Zaporizhzhia's safety

China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in playing a constructive role in ensuring the safety and security of nuclear facilities after recent drone attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), a Chinese envoy said on Thursday.

Li Song, China's permanent representative to the IAEA, told a special meeting of the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors that the ZNPP faces high nuclear safety risks in the middle of the battlefield, warning that "the impact of nuclear accidents transcends borders and there is no room for error."

The meeting was convened at the request of Russia and Ukraine to discuss the recent attacks on ZNPP, which occurred on Sunday and Tuesday. They were the first attacks since November 2022 to directly target the ZNPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, according to the IAEA.

Quoting a paper released by China last February on its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, Li said that China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities and stresses the need to avoid man-made nuclear accidents.

China supports the IAEA's efforts to promote the safety of Ukraine's nuclear facilities and supports the seven pillars and five principles proposed by IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi to ensure nuclear safety in Ukraine, Li said, adding that China has contributed to the agency's funding for its technical assistance project on nuclear safety and security in Ukraine.

China supports the IAEA in maintaining contact with all parties and playing a constructive role in ensuring the safety and security of nuclear facilities, Li said.

The Chinese envoy also called on relevant parties to exercise restraint, strictly abide by the Convention on Nuclear Safety and other relevant international laws, refrain from taking any action that endangers nuclear facilities, and create favorable conditions for the IAEA to perform its functions.

IAEA calls for 'maximum restraint'

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi on Thursday called for "maximum restraint" after the attack, saying that "direct attacks against the ZNPP marked a major escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers in Ukraine."

Tuesday's attack on the ZNPP was the latest in a series of drone attacks on the facility in recent days. The attacks on the plant on Sunday caused damage to the building housing one of the plant's six reactors, but nuclear safety has not been compromised, the IAEA said in an earlier statement.

Russia and Ukraine have both accused the other of staging the attacks on the ZNPP. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the recent shelling of the plant was "a very dangerous provocation", with negative consequences. However, Ukraine has denied any involvement in the drone attacks.

The IAEA has not taken a position on who was to blame.

(With input from Xinhua)