Interview: China is active player in maintaining world peace, says Mexican expert

China is an active player in maintaining world peace and its participation in the fourth Nuclear Security Summit will help keep the world free of nuclear threats, said Erasmo Zarazua, an international security expert of the Ibero-American University.

The summit is more concerned than ever about nuclear security as terrorist groups may find access to nuclear materials to make dirty bombs, Zarazua told Xinhua.

The technology of the 21st century is forcing all countries to carefully guard their nuclear materials to prevent them from falling in the wrong hands.

In fact, one of the themes being discussed at the nuclear summit is how to reduce the usage of highly enriched uranium, which may be used to make nuclear weapons.

"Uranium is the most controlled and regulated chemical element. This is because it is easy to treat and could be used to cause severe damage to people and the environment. Furthermore, it is easy to extract and does not require military-grade technology to be put into use," said Zarazua.

According to Zarazua, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela all mine uranium.

"The U.S. and Europe are worried that certain terrorist groups could infiltrate into Latin America and indirectly get their hands on these materials," said Zarazua.

"This is why we need larger commitment for this mining process to be supervised very tightly, so that the products do not fall in the wrong hands. We must also avoid Latin American nuclear technology to be copied or bought by terrorist groups," he said.

On the other hand, the Mexican expert said that with oil resources around the world dwindling, other energy sources like nuclear energy are becoming more popular.

China has made nuclear energy its important asset and Latin America should learn from China in this area, he said.

"China has enjoyed a very active relationship with Latin America through financing and trade. ... The region could enjoy Chinese support in the development and construction of nuclear energy plants," he said. Endi