Debate looms on China uranium sale; August 09, 2005 From: AAP

THE Federal Government would have to take on environmentalists and China-phobic nationalists over any move to sell uranium to China, a United States think-tank said today. Private sector intelligence group Stratfor said Australia's uranium plan fitted into a far bigger political picture which included a free trade agreement, the West's arms embargo against China, Australia's place in Asia and international nuclear politics.

Stratfor said the Government would have to convince Australian voters that selling uranium to China was in the country's long term economic interests, and not a cause for security concerns. It said uranium was central to the issues of economic and physical security. "If Australia is to fuel Chinese nuclear expansion, it must overcome a local population wary of nuclear material, a general public doubtful of job security under a free-trade arrangement with China, and a US administration concerned that new Chinese nuclear development will come at the expense of regional security balance," it said.

Stratfor said Australia risked alienating the US if it pushed too hard for regional co-operation and Asia-based security assurances.
It said the Chinese were keenly aware of the intersection between economic and security politics within Australia. In February, Chinese ambassador Fu Ying publicly discussed China's interest in using Australia's nuclear resources in its fuel programs, praising Australia's decision not to object to the proposed lifting of the arms embargo on the mainland.

http://finance.news.com.au/story/0,10166,16201990-31037,00.html