Date: Fri, 29 Mar 1996 05:10:24 -0500
 
      28 March 1996 (Reuter) - China called for global
negotiations to be concluded this year on a treaty banning
nuclear weapons tests, but said the pact should allow
"peaceful nuclear explosions" for scientific research.
   In another speech to the Conference on Disarmament,
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Assef Ahmad Ali sought
"categorical assurances" from India it would not carry out a
nuclear test.

      28 March 1996 (Reuter) - Hong Kong Nuclear Investment Co
Ltd (HKNIC) confirmed in a statement that shutdowns at its
Daya Bay nuclear plant in China would be staggered and would
not affect power supply to its customers. The shutdown of the
twin 900 megawatt reactors, primarily for maintenance and
repairs, would have no nuclear safety impact, it said.

      28 March 1996 (Reuter) - Washington's curbs on exports
of nuclear equipment to China have hobbled U.S. firms in the
international race for a share of Beijing's ambitious atomic
energy build-up, executives said. U.S. nuclear firms face a
long-standing congressional restriction on dealings with
China, and current Sino-U.S. tensions over Taiwan, trade and
nuclear proliferation make it unlikely the situation will
change soon.