Editor's note: Xu Sicong is an opinion editor with CGTN Digital. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN. 

On October 11, the Trump administration announced that it would sharply restrict American exports of civilian nuclear technology to China in an effort to prevent China from using it for military and other "unauthorized" purposes.

A day earlier, the administration had said it would more rigorously review foreign investments in the US, a move widely seen as targeting China and its "Made in China 2025" strategy.

So far, the US has opened multiple fronts, apart from tariffs, in battles against China, laying bare its deep fear that America would eventually lose its strategic competition with the world's second-largest economy.

The recent announcement on nuclear technology exports restrictions is based partly on the concern that Chinese companies continue to steal nuclear technology from the US, according to the US administration.

However, Yang Chengjun, an expert in Chinese national security strategy, told Chinese media outlet Global Times that instead of stealing nuclear-related technologies as US officials have claimed, China developed its nuclear technology by itself, including its nuclear weapons.

According to Yang, China's nuclear technology development is not dependent on the US in any way, and he dismissed the notion that the newly-announced restrictions would have any substantial impact on China.

At the same time, the New York Times pointed out that administration officials had revealed little intelligence evidence that would support their allegation concerning China's nuclear technology theft; moreover, it noted that China had become a nuclear weapon state in the early 1960s and was "largely self-sufficient when it comes to developing nuclear weapons."

Yang further explained that the US nuclear exports to China mainly consist of equipment used in civilian nuclear power plants for safety and security reasons and for storing nuclear material, and thus does not involve the direct exportation of nuclear material and technology to China.

Concerning some US officials' claim that China was trying to develop floating nuclear power reactors for use in the South China Sea, Yang believes that the US restrictions have nothing to do with the situation in the South China Sea, but is part of the US strategy to contain China's rise.

According to German magazine Focus, by adopting such policies, the Trump administration hopes to see China backing down in the trade war and its nuclear technology development contained.

As of mid-June 2018, China had had 40 operational reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency – the fourth most worldwide and the country continues to make advancements in nuclear technology.

Mark Hibbs, senior fellow of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in an interview with Nikkei Asian Review during this year's World Nuclear Exhibition, said "The Chinese are now in a premium position to be able to make changes and make innovation in this technology of an evolutionary nature."

At the moment, China's investment in nuclear power has accounted for more than half of the total in the world. The rapid development in China's nuclear industry and nuclear technology may be the US' real concern. Furthermore, Trump has long complained about America's trade deficits with China, but many have pointed out that measures like this would only further reduce the US imports to China and exacerbate the country's problem of massive trade deficits. 

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