This year is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil. China Isotope & Radiation Corporation (CIRC), a listed subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation(CNNC), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Brazil's Nuclear and Energy Research Institute over nuclear energy application cooperation on the sidelines of the 2024 Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science, Technology and Applications and the Technical Cooperation Programme of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Austria's Vienna on November 26 local time.

According to the newly-signed MoU, the two sides will build long-term cooperation ties and strengthen bilateral cooperation on radiopharmaceuticals and irradiation.

As one of new major achievements made by the CNNC to follow China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the MoU represents the corporation's concrete steps in the further implementation of China's eight actions to support global development and in the building of a China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet. It is also a symbol of global recognition of China's integrated solutions to nuclear technology application.

Those in attendance of the signing ceremony included Francisco Rondinelli, president of the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission, Isolda Costa, director of the Brazilian Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, Huang Ping, secretary-general of the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA), and Wang Xuejun, chief accountant of the CNNC.

"As two major developing countries in the Eastern and Western hemispheres respectively, China and Brazil have built sound industrial foundation for the development of nuclear technology application. There is a bright future and tremendous potentials for bilateral cooperation on nuclear technology sector," said Costa. She added that the Brazilian Nuclear and Energy Research Institute will build communication and cooperation mechanisms with the CNNC and the CIRC over nuclear medicine, irradiation application and R&D activities and work together for the healthy and sustainable development of nuclear technology application.

Wang introduced that the latest cooperation move is a concrete step taken by the CNNC to comprehensively showcase its achievements in the building of modern industrial chains concerning nuclear technology application, underscore the fulfillment of corporate social responsibility across the world, and further enrich the content of China-Brazil relationship in the new era. He asked the CIRC to fully leverage its technological strengths in nuclear medicine and irradiation, build the cooperation initiative into a model for the technological cooperation between developing countries, make both the country's and the CNNC's development experience known worldwide, and help the entire globe benefit from nuclear technology application.

Nuclear technology has been widely recognized as a cutting-edge technology, which has high-tech, high-efficient and high-quality features. It is one of the most representative industries behind the development of new quality productive forces and has been used in various key links of industrial and agricultural fields, playing vital roles in promoting the integrated development between different industries and between different stages. As of the end of 2023, China's nuclear technology application industry had generated an economic output of 240 billion yuan.

As an industrial leader in the promotion of nuclear technology application in China, the CNNC has built extensive expertise in nuclear medicine and irradiation over the years. It has developed integrated service solutions, which cover the R&D and sales of isotope, and special nuclear medicine services, and provided its global clients with such services as project design and construction together with equipment installation and testing.