Sino-France nuclear power ties lit by 'man-made sun'

Global giants China and France are no strangers to collaboration in the realm of nuclear power.

A prime example is their ongoing partnership in the ITER project, an international nuclear fusion experiment aiming to build an "artificial sun" that can generate virtually unlimited power for humanity.

Built in southern France by seven ITER members – China, the EU, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the U.S., the facilities will be the world's largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor.

This collaboration, however, signifies a much deeper, four-decade-long relationship between China and France in the field of nuclear power.

With technical support from Électricité de France (EDF), the first large-scale nuclear power station in China went into operation in 1994 after nearly 10 years of construction.

Since the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Shenzhen City opened 30 years ago, EDF, France's state-owned electricity company, has participated in various energy projects in China.

Fabrice Fourcade, president of the France-China Electricity Partnership Association, said the success of EDF's four-decade cooperation with China lies primarily in mutual understanding. "This means understanding each other's culture, work ethic, traditions and languages," he wrote in an opinion piece for CGTN.

Watch: Daya Bay nuclear power plant was the beginnings of China-France nuclear cooperation

According to Li Li, director of China General Nuclear Power Corporation, the entire reactor of the Daya Bay plant was imported from France, which is the core component of a nuclear power plant. "At that time, it was the world's highest safety-rated nuclear reactor. I have full confidence that it can continue to operate for another 30 years, or even longer."

"We continue benchmarking with French nuclear power plants. We have consistently found there are many aspects in which we still need to learn from them. Of course, our French peers would also come to us for benchmarking," Li said.

"Decades ago, we were students, and our peers in France were teachers. Now, we are friends."

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But the significance of this partnership extends beyond the two nations. Nuclear energy remains a controversial topic, with concerns about safety, proliferation and waste management.

However, the successful collaboration between China and France demonstrates the potential of international cooperation to address these challenges. By sharing best practices and jointly developing robust safety standards, countries can move forward with a more secure and sustainable nuclear future.

The ITER project further underscores this point. Here, leading nations from across the globe have come together to solve one of humanity's biggest energy challenges.