Reports of China’s demands on nuclear power in EU investment talks are fake – Beijing

China’s Foreign Ministry has said media reports of Beijing’s alleged demands on nuclear power investment during talks with the European Union were not true.

On Wednesday, German magazine WirtschaftsWoche cited EU sources as saying that negotiations on the China-EU investment pact have stalled at the last stretch, as Beijing wants to invest in European nuclear power plants and use China’s more advanced technology there.

However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Thursday denied the report.

“As I understand, talks are going smoothly. The news about talks being stuck because China has put up more requests about nuclear energy is fake.”

Earlier this week, Wang said Beijing had held 10 rounds of talks with Brussels. “Now the talks are in the final stage. We believe as long as both can accommodate the other side’s concerns…we will be able to achieve the targets set by our leaders.”

The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) is intended to increase investment between the EU and China and replace bilateral treaties between EU member states and Beijing, while companies within the European bloc will be on an equal footing in China.

However, the EU has recently criticized China over its human rights record, while Washington said it would welcome consultations with its European partners on “our common concerns about China’s economic practices.”

In response, China has raised objections about Europe’s tightening of its foreign investment screening policies in strategic sectors of economy.

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