Nuclear Fusion Reactor, France, Canada, AECL, G-8 Summit

Does this mean Canada's AECL is not involved -- after the last very advantageous-to-China deal?

France chosen as site for a nuclear fusion project -- "Nuclear Energy Center of Cadarache near Aix-en-Provence, southern France" AP, Moscow, Jun 29, 2005, Page 6

[. . . . ] The project is funded by a consortium comprised of Japan, the US, South Korea, Russia, China and the EU, but the six parties had been divided over where to put the test reactor.

[. . . . ] Japan, the US and South Korea wanted the facility built at Rokkasho in northern Japan. Russia, China and the EU wanted it at Cadarache, in southern France.

Related links: Frost Hits the Rhubarb, June 14, 05 -- search AECL

http://frosthitstherhubarb.blogspot.com/2005_06_12_frosthitstherhubarb_archive.html

China shuts out AECL on $5-billion reactors -- Second major loss this year for company; Chrétien had lobbied hard to make deal Simon Tuck, June 13, 05

The sale is believed to be worth about $5-billion, one of the industry's biggest deals in years. The contract now appears to be headed to one of three other foreign bidders, all of whom offer pressurized-water technology as opposed to Candu's heavy-water version, which relies on natural uranium. [. . . . ]

Is ZENON involved? See yesterday's post which mentions ZENON and "ZeeWeed Tertiary Treatment".



G8 being 'hijacked': Concern grows that Live 8's Africa agenda is overtaking bigger economic hazards

There is growing unease in financial circles next week's G8 summit will be hijacked by the Africa agenda and fail to properly address the biggest threats facing the world economy, including global spending and saving imbalances and surging oil prices. [. . . . ]

China and Unocal -- Remember when the Japanese bought Rockefeller Center? by Irwin M. Stelzer, 06/27/2005

Irwin M. Stelzer is director of economic policy studies at the Hudson Institute, a columnist for the Sunday Times (London), a contributing editor to The Weekly Standard, and a contributing writer to The Daily Standard.

. . . . Once again, politicians and policy wonks are up in arms about a foreign takeover of an American company, in this case the attempted acquisition of Unocal by China's National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). . . . "It's déja vu all over again," to borrow from the Yankee sage, Yogi Berra.

That might just be dangerously wrong. The current Chinese takeover movement is different from the earlier buying spree by Japanese companies. Japan was not a rival for influence in Asia, or in the world; China is. Japan was not a major competitor for scarce resources such as oil; China is. Japanese companies were privately owned; China's acquirers are state-run entities. [. . . . ]

The Shanghai challenge Washington Times, Ariel Cohen, June 30, 2005

Ariel Cohen is senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and editor of "Eurasia in Balance," Ashgate, 2005

The leaders of China, Russia and five Central Asian states meet July 5 in Kazakhstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. They will be joined by the leaders of India, Pakistan and Iran, the SCO observer members.

The SCO, established in June 2001 by China and Russia, ostensibly to fight terrorism in Central Asia, has thus far refused to allow U.S. participation as an observer. Instead, Iran, China and Russia are interested in creating a geopolitical counterweight to the United States.

However, important U.S. interests are at stake in Eurasia's heartland. These are support for U.S. presence in Afghanistan, neutralizing the growing Islamist influence in Central Asia, and prevention of a Russian-Chinese-Iranian "condominium" there. [. . . . ]

Search: Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan , Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan



China's two-pronged offensive By Michael A Weinstein

[. . . . ] Following the acquisition in May of IBM's personal computer business by China's Lenovo Group, the bid for Maytag by Haier America Trading - the US arm of appliance giant Haier - and the move to acquire Unocal by China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) mark a new stage in Beijing's export-driven strategy of economic development that is geared to make China an "all-round" great power with state-of-the-art industries in all strategic sectors over the next 20 years.

The test of the JL-2 missile, which has a 6,000 mile (9,656 kilometer) range, advances toward Beijing's aim of enhancing China's military capabilities in order to make the country the dominant power in East and Southeast Asia, gradually eroding US influence. [. . . . ]

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