President Xi’s upcoming visit to the UK is expected to boost nuclear cooperation between the two nations.  According to British media reports, both sides will announce an accord to give China a stake in the Hinkley Point C project, Britain’s first nuclear plant in three decades.

In an interview with Reuters, President Xi outlined his expectations from this visit. “When conditions are in place, China is ready to consider strengthening the connectivity of the financial markets… London can get actively involved in the modernization and globalization of China’s financial market,” President Xi said.  

President Xi also hopes the China-UK relation can also benefit the EU.

CCTV’s Quan Chenchen reports.

More details:

  • The Hinkley Point C nuclear power project, located in Somerset, Southwest England, is owned by French electricity giant EDF.
  • According to a deal signed with EDF in 2013, China’s state run firms China General Nuclear Corporation and China National Nuclear Corporation will take a combined stake of around 30-40 percent in the $38.6-billion project.
  • Britain underwrote over $3 billion in Chinese financing for the project.