The Beijing center will keep an eye on the operating conditions of all the country's nuclear power plants and watch out for possible nuclear accidents, officials said.

The center will soon be connected to all the country's nuclear-related departments and firms at various levels, said Xu Yuming, deputy director of the China Atomic Energy Authority.

In case of emergency, the center can provide necessary guarantees for the State Council and nuclear authorities to organize and co-ordinate efforts to defuse any crisis.

An information-sharing and analysis and evaluation system will be established at the center to provide support for both consultation and policy-making.

This center can also be used for nuclear accident emergency exercises, training of anti-nuclear-accident workers, and operating international cooperation and exchange in this field.

All the countries which have nuclear energy plants have related units to cope with unexpected nuclear accidents. As a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, China will sincerely undertake relevant duties in preventing and controlling nuclear pollution, Xu noted.

(China Daily January 25, 2003)