The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Saudi Arabia is exploring a Chinese proposal to build it a nuclear plant, a decision that may thwart American interests in the country.
According to the newspaper, which cited Saudi sources acquainted with the situation, China National Nuclear Corp, a state-owned business also known as CNNC, has submitted a bid to construct a nuclear power station in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, close to the border with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
A request for comment from Reuters did not receive a response right away from CNNC. Requests for comments regarding the report were not met with any response from the foreign ministries of China or Saudi Arabia.
As part of a potential normalization agreement with Israel, Saudi Arabia has already asked the United States for assistance in building a civilian nuclear program on its land.
U.S. officials have previously stated that they would only share nuclear power technology if the agreement forbade the reprocessing of plutonium produced in reactors or the enrichment of uranium, both of which are ways to produce nuclear bombs.
The publication said that Saudi officials recognized that discussing the matter with China was a means of pressuring the Biden administration to relax its non-proliferation criteria.
According to the newspaper, Saudi officials stated that they would prefer to contract with South Korean state utility Korea Electric Power to construct the plant’s reactors and engage U.S. operational experience without consenting to the proliferation restrictions that Washington typically requires.
According to the WSJ, Saudi sources stated that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was ready to proceed with the Chinese enterprise quickly if negotiations with the U.S. fell down.
The publication cited China’s foreign ministry as saying that China would continue to work with Saudi Arabia on civil nuclear energy while complying with international non-proliferation regulations.
Over the past year, Saudi Arabia and China have forged tighter ties. China helped restore ties between Saudi Arabia and its longtime adversary in the region, Iran, in March.
As part of any U.S. effort to improve relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Israel’s energy minister has expressed resistance to the idea of Saudi Arabia establishing a civilian nuclear program.
Israel has stated that it expects Washington to consult it on any U.S.-Saudi agreement that could have an impact on its national security. Israel is widely believed to possess atomic weapons despite being outside the voluntary Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and lacking nuclear power.
