中国常驻联合国副代表耿爽25日在《联合国海洋法公约》第31次缔约国会议上行使答辩权，驳斥日本代表的错误言论，敦促日方撤销以海洋排放方式处置福岛核电站事故污染水的错误决定。耿爽说，日本代表试图强调经处理的核污染水排海无害、日方已做到公开透明、有关做法已得到国际原子能机构认可，这些与事实完全不符，纯属有意误导。
A Chinese envoy on Friday asked Japan to revoke its decision to discharge nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea.The disposal of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear accident is not merely a domestic issue of Japan. The planned discharge will severely harm international public health, safety, and the immediate interests of neighboring countries and their people, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.In response to a Japanese representative's statement at the meeting, Geng said the Japanese representative made erroneous remarks in an attempt to emphasize that the treated water will be harmless, that Japan has been open and transparent, and that the discharge plan has been approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
An aerial image of tanks holding nuclear-contaminated water at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma, Fukushima, Japan, April 12, 2021. /CFP
第一，福岛核事故是迄今全球发生的最严重核事故之一，其污染水来自流经熔融损毁反应堆堆芯的冷却水、地下水和雨水等，含有大量核裂变产生的放射性核素。这些核素在自然界中原本不存在，在国际上没有排放先例，对海洋环境、食品安全及公众健康带来的影响不容忽视。如果福岛核污染水真如日方所言经过处理后毫无危害，日方为何不将其留在本国自用，而非要将其排放入海呢？第二，日方并非像它自称的那样行事透明。在公布排海决定前，日方未与周边国家等利益攸关方充分协商。日方公布排海决定后，包括中国在内的环太平洋国家以及太平洋岛国论坛等组织均对日方向海洋排放核污染水的决定表达关切，日方迄未作出认真回应，迄未解决各方关切。 第三，国际原子能机构从来没有核可或认可日方向海洋排放核污染水的决定。目前，国际原子能机构正在筹建相关技术工作组，并已确认将邀请中国、韩国专家参与。第四，福岛核电站事故核污染水处置问题不只是日本国内问题，有关做法将对国际公共健康安全和周边国家人民切身利益产生严重影响。中方强烈敦促日方撤销错误决定，在同包括周边邻国在内的各利益攸关方及有关国际机构协商并达成共识前，不得擅自启动排海。People take part in a protest against the Japanese government's plan to release nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea outside the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2021. /CFP
"We strongly urge Japan to revoke its wrong decision. It must not wantonly start the ocean discharge before consulting and reaching consensus with all stakeholders, including neighboring countries and relevant international institutions," Geng told a meeting of state parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.The Fukushima nuclear accident is one of the most serious in world history. The contaminated water is composed of cooling water injected into the melted reactor core, as well as groundwater and rainwater. It contains large amounts of radioactive isotopes which are created in the fission process and are non-existent in nature. There is no precedent to refer to, and the impact on the marine environment, food security and public health cannot be neglected, he said."If the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water will be harmless as Japan has claimed, why would Japan not keep it for domestic use? Why does Japan insist on dumping it into the sea?" he asked.Japan has not been as transparent and open as it has proclaimed. Before the announcement of its decision to release nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, Japan did not fully consult neighboring countries and other stakeholders. After the announcement, many Pacific-Rim countries, including China, as well as organizations such as the Pacific Islands Forum, expressed concerns over Japan's decision. But so far, Japan has not responded earnestly to and has not addressed such concerns, said Geng.