Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning held a regular press conference on March 3.
A reporter asked: According to reports, in response to the joint statement of the Chinese and Russian heads of state expressing serious concern about the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasuminoru Nishimura said at a press conference after the cabinet meeting on the 24th that there is a factual misunderstanding of the use of the term "radioactive contaminated water" and will continue to patiently and meticulously release information based on scientific evidence. What is the spokesperson's comment on this?
Mao Ning said that based on the spirit of science and out of an attitude of being responsible for the health of its own people, the global marine environment and the international public interest, China has repeatedly expressed concern over Japan's unilateral decision to discharge Fukushima's nuclear-polluted water into the ocean.
Japan has repeatedly argued that nuclear-contaminated water purified by the Multi-Nuclide Treatment System (ALPS) is safe and harmless, and opposes the use of the term nuclear-contaminated water by all parties. The fact is that the contaminated water contains more than 60 kinds of radionuclides, many of which do not have effective treatment technology, and some long-lived nuclides may spread with ocean currents and form a bioconcentration effect, which will additionally increase the total amount of radionuclides in the environment, causing unpredictable harm to the marine environment and human health. Fukushima's contaminated water will be discharged for 30 years or more. The maturity and effectiveness of multinuclide treatment system technology has not been evaluated or certified by a third party, and there is no precedent for treating such a large amount of nuclear-contaminated water with such a complex composition, and its long-term effectiveness is questionable. Data released by the Japanese side in March this year showed that nearly 3% of the contaminated water treated by the multi-nuclide treatment system still did not meet the standard. Not to mention, the relevant data of the Japanese side comes from the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which is accustomed to tampering with and concealing data, and it is difficult for the international community to convince the international community that the safety of "treated water" is not convincing.
What Japan should do now is to face up to the legitimate concerns of the international community, faithfully fulfill its international obligations, dispose of nuclear-contaminated water in the safest and safest manner, including fully studying and demonstrating disposal options other than discharging into the sea, and accepting strict international supervision, so as to avoid imposing unpredictable risks on the international community to the greatest extent, instead of deliberately "whitewashing" the decision to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. Until full consultation and agreement with neighboring countries and other stakeholders and relevant international institutions, Japan shall not initiate the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea without authorization.
(Produced by Le Xiaomin)
Responsible Editor: [Luo Pan]