VIETNAM: Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan seals an agreement with Vietnam to build a nuclear power plant and to mine rare minerals

Record ID: 462893

  • Title: VIETNAM: Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan seals an agreement with Vietnam to build a nuclear power plant and to mine rare minerals
  • Date: 1st November 2010
  • Summary: HANOI, VIETNAM (OCTOBER 31, 2010) (REUTERS) PRESIDENTIAL PALACE FLAGS OF VIETNAM AND JAPAN JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER NAOTO KAN WITH VIETNAM PRIME MINISTER NGUYEN TAN DUNG STANDING ON RED CARPET HONOUR GUARD VARIOUS OF WELCOME CEREMONY KAN AND DUNG WALKING
  • Embargoed: 16th November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVACP8BLUNFQJ8JFB1TXDODZFFJJ
  • Story Text: Vietnam has chosen to partner with Japan in the construction of a nuclear power plant and in mining rare earth minerals in the southeast Asian country, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan told reporters on Sunday (October 31).
    "I have been told that Vietnam has chosen Japan as a partner in the construction of the second nuclear power plant and also that it has also chosen Japan as a partner for exploration and mining of rare earth materials," Kan told reporters following an official state visit in Hanoi.
    "That Vietnam has chosen Japan as a partner in these two projects is a sign of a strategic partnership between the two countries," he said.
    Developing and operating nuclear power plants abroad could help growth in Japan, the world's third-biggest nuclear power generator after the United States and France, as its electricity demand is expected to stay flat or rise slightly at best because of its ageing society and industries shifting abroad.
    Vietnam plans to start building its first nuclear power plant in 2014 using Russian technology.
    A Vietnamese state-run newspaper reported in June that it also aimed to invite partners from countries including Japan, France and the United States to help build up to eight nuclear power plants by 2030.
    Vietnam has become a focus of attention as a possible source of rare earths after China slashed export quotas and reduced shipments of the minerals, igniting international concern that it could use the exports as an economic or political lever.
    China gave repeated assurances at an Asia-Pacific summit in Hanoi that ended on Saturday (October 30) that it would remain a "reliable supplier" of the high-tech ores used in lasers, superconductors, computers and other electronics.
    Nevertheless, Japan and other countries, including the United States, say they want to diversify their sources of supplies.
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