Mr Chairman,

Let me start by congratulating you on your election to the presidency of the Board. Please rest assured of the Chinese delegation’s full support and cooperation.

Mr Chairman,

Technical cooperation, as one of the main pillars of the Agency’s activities, plays a significant role in assisting MS in their efforts to leverage nuclear energy and technology to promote socio-economic development, improve people’s livelihood and achieve SDGs. China appreciates efforts by the secretariat to communicate fully with MS in developing TC projects to listen to their needs and development priorities. China takes note of the significant financial gap in footnote a projects in the proposed 2022-2023 TC Program. The funding requirement of the newly launched ZODIAC initiative and the interregional project on banana is still to be fully met. China calls upon MS to pay their TCF contributions on time and in full to ensure sufficient, assured and predictable resources for technical cooperation. We also hope that the secretariat could further strengthen partnerships to obtain additional resources for TC projects, while at the same time strive for efficiency savings and live within its means, and ensure adequate balance between promotional and non-promotional activities.

Mr Chairman,

China, as a staunch supporter of the Agency’s TC activities, takes an active part in them and make important contributions to them. In 2021, on top of its financial contributions of 10,35 million euros to the TCF, China actively responded to the Agency’s TC initiative to fight COVID-19 and provided test kits and supplies as in kind extra-budgetary contributions to some countries severely impacted by the pandemic through a tripartite cooperation model established between China, the Agency and recipient countries. China shares its knowledges and experiences with other MS through Cooperation Centres for Nuclear Agriculture, Sterile Insect Technology and Geological Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste, which are platforms established jointly with the Agency. Since 2017, the Chinese government’s Atom Energy Fellowship program has trained 118 master and PHD students from 26 developing countries, thus contributing to the development of their nuclear energy programs.

At the 76th session of the UN General Assembly held last September, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the Global Development Initiative and announced that China would increase development resources to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda and build a global community of shared future for development. China will focus on the Global Development Initiative and contribute resources and platforms to take an active part in the Agency’s technical cooperation.

1. China will provide support, to the best of its abilities, to the following areas: nuclear power infrastructure capacity building in countries embarking on nuclear power, applications of small modular reactors and miniature reactors, interregional TC projects in the new TC cycle such as using nuclear and nuclear derived techniques to fight banana disease.

2. China will actively share its knowledge and expertise in mutation breeding, radiation sterilization, SIT, waste water treatment so as to provide more public goods for developing countries to address challenges in food security, health and environment and to achieve SDGs.

3. China will continue to support the Marie Curie Fellowship through the Chinese’s government’s Atomic Energy Fellowship program, by welcoming students, in particular female students from developing countries recommended by the Agency to China for further studies.

With these comments, China takes note of the report by TACC and related documents.

Thank you, Mr Chairman.