Sustained momentum needed to boost global nuclear security cooperation

Seven years after then newly inaugurated U.S. President Barack Obama raised the vision of a world without nuclear weapons in a high-profile speech in Prague, the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) mechanism he initiated is coming to an end in his last year in office.

The fourth and last NSS is to be held in Washington on Thursday and Friday.

Over the years, global awareness and cooperation on nuclear security have been on the rise partly thanks to the NSS initiative, which has helped expand international consensus and played a constructive role by complementing worldwide efforts championed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog.

Yet the NSS process, which is subject to the political cycle of the United States, the biggest nuclear power on the planet and a top owner of nuclear materials, closes at a time when the global nuclear security situation is becoming more challenging due to the accumulation of nuclear resources and the rampancy of terrorism.

In the post-NSS era, analysts say, the international community needs to push forward exchanges and cooperation with fresh vigor under the IAEA-led global nuclear security system so as to continue keeping the world safe from nuclear terrorism.

"Finish Strong"

Since the first NSS was held in 2010, countries around the world have made significant progress in locking down nuclear materials and updating national laws. According to a Harvard University report, more than 1,500 kg of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium has been sent back to their countries of origin or eliminated, and 15 new countries have become HEU-free.

"Over the last six years of the summits, many countries took actions in direct response to the summits to enhance security of their materials," said Page Stoutland, vice president of the Scientific and Technical Affairs at the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a nonprofit organization based in Washington committed to strengthening global security.

The NSS mechanism has promoted awareness of and built international consensus on the nuclear security issue, noted Ruan Zongze, vice president of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS).

However, much remains to be done. First of all, the underlying structural problems of the international nuclear security system have not been addressed. The experts noted that serious gaps exist in the international governance framework as regards information sharing, peer review and formulation of enforceable standards.

Meanwhile, mistrust among countries has taken a toll on global cooperation. The United States has been dragging its feet in delivering its promise to reduce its nuclear arsenal, which is the largest in the world. Besides, as indicated in a detailed index published by the NTI, nuclear security gains stalled globally in 2014 due to political distraction, bureaucratic inertia, lack of resources and cultural factors.

Obama has voiced his intention for the last NSS to "finish strong." To that end, Stoutland suggested, the best this summit could do is to come up with new arrangements for sustaining momentum on and attention to nuclear security.

Sound system needed

As the world becomes ever more multipolarized, the analysts pointed out, a system dominated by a few countries is no longer sufficient for solving global problems. This holds true for nuclear security.

In the case of the NSS, an obvious problem is the absence of another nuclear heavyweight -- Russia. Questioning the value of the NSS, Moscow stressed that such gatherings should be convened under the IAEA framework. While claims that the NSS is aimed at substituting or circumventing the UN body's leadership are questionable as NSS outcome documents have repeatedly affirmed the IAEA's leading role, U.S.-Russia divergences indicate a sound international regime is needed.

When participating leaders discuss the future of the global nuclear security system at the Washington summit, they should focus on international institutions, such as the IAEA, said Stoutland of the NTI.

The experts think an ideal regime should be a robust system compatible with international standards, guided by good practices and aimed at realizing common interests to which all countries can contribute -- either funding or technical resources -- and from which they all can acquire assistance.

"All countries need to play a role. Leading countries in terms of nuclear programs, including China, Russia and the United States, have particularly important roles. However, countries without nuclear materials or facilities need to make sure their land is not used as staging grounds where terrorists can operate," added Stoutland.

The experts also urged countries to do more to demonstrate to each other that they have proper nuclear security programs and procedures in place. "One of the ways is to open their nuclear programs and facilities for review to other countries and international organizations," said the senior NTI researcher.

China's Role

In a manifestation of Beijing's commitment to nuclear security, Chinese President Xi Jinping or his immediate predecessor, Hu Jintao, attended all the past three NSS summits. This time, at the last NSS, Xi is also to sit down with Obama and dozens of other dignitaries.

Commenting on the role China has played in safeguarding global nuclear security, Stoutland said that, China, which has a long-standing nuclear program, has set a good example for other countries by keeping a good record of securing its nuclear materials in the past 50 years.

China has made great efforts to improve technology and emergency responses and conducted nationwide, comprehensive security checks on nuclear facilities. It is also drafting national regulations with a view to putting nuclear security on an institutional and legal footing.

Meanwhile, China has contributed to locating nuclear security hazards and coordinating global efforts to solve them. For example, China has been leading an international effort to press Japan into handing over the alarmingly large number of nuclear materials in its possession, said Ruan of the CIIS, describing Tokyo's hoarding as "a snake in grass."

Japan's remaining stockpile of lower-grade plutonium contained in waste fuel has also put its neighbors and the world at large on edge, as experts estimate that it can be reprocessed as fissile material for an extremely large nuclear arsenal. "Japan needs to explain why it is stockpiling so much plutonium, far more than it needs," Ruan said.

Citing the Nuclear Security Center of Excellence China and the United States have jointly built in southwest Beijing, Stoutland noted that China has also been actively participating in international cooperation on nuclear security.

That is in line with Beijing's promise. In his speech at the third NSS in The Hague, Xi stressed that enhancing nuclear security is a never-ending process and that China gives top priority to nuclear security in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and stays firmly committed to strengthening its own nuclear security capability and supporting international cooperation on nuclear security. If China's record is any guide, those commitments will hold long into the post-NSS era. Enditem