Putin, Xi launch construction of Xudapu, Tianwan nuclear power plants

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping launched the construction of the Tianwan and Xudapu nuclear power plants in China on Wednesday.

Putin praised the project as "a landmark, flagship joint project" that will provide Chinese people with additional volumes of "inexpensive and clean energy."

"The main directions of a truly close partnership and cooperation between Russia and China on nuclear technologies were determined jointly with President Xi Jinping during our state visit to China in 2018,” he said at the ceremony. “Cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear energy is an important component of the entire complex of the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership, which is deep, truly friendly, and mutually beneficial," said Putin.

The president stressed that all agreements reached at the highest level are "consistently and steadily being implemented" and expressed certainty that Russia and China will have many more "ambitious and successful bilateral initiatives."

Xi proposed to create a more open system for global energy management and urged countries to counteract climate change, including through the implementation of low-carbon projects.

Nuclear power plants can be one of such projects, as they produce nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life cycle.