Be cautious about Ukraine's nuclear power plants: China

Beijing: China urged Russia and Ukraine to ensure the safety and security of nuclear facilities established in the latter as the fear of a man-made disaster is around with Russian aggression into Ukraine, PTI reported.

China's envoy, while addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency's ((IAEA) top officials in Vienna on Wednesday, said without naming Russia or Ukraine that the two must be cautious against man-made nuclear disasters.

"The IAEA should also take full consideration of the security situation in Ukraine in accordance with its mandate and properly address the issue of security protection in Ukraine," Chinese envoy Wang Qun said.

Ukraine started nuclear energy farming in the 1970s, the Soviet era, beginning with the construction of the Chernobyl power plant near Kyiv.

In 2013, China signed a joint statement with Ukraine, which stated that the former would provide security to Kyiv if Ukraine faced any nuclear weapon based invasion threats.

When China was asked if they provide the promised protection for Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing on Thursday, "according to documents such as statements made by states and the UN Security Council Resolution 984, nuclear-weapon states give security assurances to Ukraine and other non-nuclear-weapon states".

He said that security promises were put under limitations on the content and would be triggered under specific conditions. In Ukraine, what is needed now is involved parties needed to calm down. They need to exercise restraint, de-escalate the situation and promote political settlement, he said.

Ukraine, independent from the Soviet Union since 1991, depends heavily n nuclear energy and have 15 working atomic power plants in operation, which provides nearly half of its power requirements.