VZCZCXRO9668
PP RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHGH #0133/01 0920437
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 010437Z APR 08
FM AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6798
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY 0215
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY 0019
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1810
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1183
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 1154
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 1181
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 1313
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 0993
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 7342

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SHANGHAI 000133 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR CA/VO, EEB, OES, EAP/CM, AND INR/EAP - CLARKE 
USDOC FOR 4420 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC DAS KASOFF, MELCHER AND MCQUEEN 
TREASURY FOR OASIA/DOHNER, WRIGHT, MEDEIROS, CUSHMAN 
STATE PASS USTR STRATFORD 
STATE PASS USNRC FOR CHAIRMAN KLEIN 
USDOE FOR MIZROCH/CHIANG/GINSBERG 
USDOE FOR INTERNATIONAL/PUMPHREY AND GEBERT 
STATE PASS NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION CHAN/KARAFI/HUBER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CMGT CVIS PGOV ECON CH ENRG
SUBJECT: MEETING WITH WESTINGHOUSE TO DISCUSS FACILITATED VISA 
PROCESSING FOR AP1000 PROJECT PARTICIPANTS 
 
REF: BEIJING 001212 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  On March 12, 2008, Consular Section Chief met 
with Westinghouse representatives to discuss special visa 
processing in support of the AP1000 Nuclear Power Plant Project. 
 This year alone, Westinghouse plans to sponsor up to 200 
Chinese nationals for nuclear power technologies training in the 
United States in preparation for construction of four AP1000 
nuclear reactors in China.  Since two of these reactors are 
being built in the Shanghai Consular District, and the vast 
majority of these visa applicants will require MANTIS Special 
Advisory Opinion (SAO) processing before visa issuance, 
Westinghouse sought to understand the visa application process 
and any Shanghai-specific procedures.  Westinghouse, which is 
required under its contract to transfer proprietary technology, 
is nevertheless relatively sanguine about the safety of its 
intellectual property.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) Westinghouse Meeting:  On March 12, 2008, AmConGen 
Shanghai's Consular Chief and ConOff met with Westinghouse 
Electric Company's Vice-President Timothy Collier and other 
Westinghouse staff to discuss visa processing in support of 
Westinghouse's AP1000 Nuclear Power Plant Project (AP1000) 
contract.  An offspring of the original Westinghouse Electric, 
Westinghouse Electric Company is a multi-national nuclear 
technologies company incorporating various nuclear services, 
power plants, nuclear fuel, inspection equipment, advanced 
welding services, and remote handling equipment to utilities and 
governments in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa. 
Westinghouse World Headquarters is located in Monroeville, PA. 
Japan's Toshiba Group is its majority owner. 
 
------------------ 
THE AP1000 PROJECT 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) AP1000 TECHNOLOGY:  Westinghouse's AP1000 reactor 
design was the first "Generation III Plus" reactor to receive 
approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in December 
¶2005.  The AP1000 pressurized water reactor is an evolutionary 
improvement on Westinghouse's Generation III AP600 reactor, 
producing almost twice as much power with roughly the same size 
footprint.  The AP1000 design has an 1100 megawatt generating 
capacity.  The AP1000's passive safety systems are intended to 
make it safer than any existing nuclear power plant.  AP1000 
construction takes five years, including 18 months of site 
preparation, 36 months of site construction, and 6 months of 
startup and testing.  American turn-key fabrication firm Shaw, 
Stone and Webster (a 20 percent shareholder in Westinghouse) 
provides all power plant engineering and construction services. 
The plant has a design life of 60 years based on the service 
life of the reactor vessel. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Chinese Contract:  In December 2006, after three 
years of bidding, the State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation 
selected the Westinghouse/Shaw consortium to build four nuclear 
reactors.   The estimated USD 8 billion contract, awarded in 
July 2007, is the largest international nuclear contract in 
history.  China's units will be the first AP1000 power plants 
ever built.  Two of the AP1000 units will be built at the Sanmen 
Nuclear Power Plant in Zhejiang Province, which lies in 
Shanghai's Consular District.  Construction at the Sanmen site 
began on February 25, 2008, with commercial operation expected 
by 2013. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Intellectual Property Rights:  Most high-tech companies 
are reluctant to transfer technology to Chinese subsidiaries and 
business partners.  However, as part of the AP1000 contract, 
Westinghouse agreed to wholly transfer all AP1000 technology to 
China.  When asked about this, Westinghouse representatives 
responded that the Chinese government made it very clear that 
failure to transfer AP1000 technology would have been a deal 
 
SHANGHAI 00000133  002 OF 003 
 
 
breaker, and Westinghouse would have lost the contract.  In 
response, Westinghouse adopted the view that the AP1000 project 
is a true partnership with China, and that transferring 
technology would result in a better relationship with China and 
result in future power plants sales. (COMMENT:  Westinghouse 
expressed the pragmatic view that, "If people are going to 
reverse engineer or copy nuclear technology, Westinghouse would 
prefer that people copy Westinghouse technology."  END COMMENT) 
 
--------------- 
VISA ASSISTANCE 
--------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) AP1000 Visa Needs:  The Bureau of Consular Affairs has 
committed to facilitating AP1000 travel to the United States. 
Under the AP1000 contract, a large number of Chinese will go to 
the U.S. to visit Westinghouse and its partners for training, 
design participation, project review and coordination, 
manufacturing surveillance, quality assurance auditing, and 
business development.  This year, Collier estimates Westinghouse 
will send 100 to 200 visitors for pre-construction and site 
preparation discussions, including construction and design 
meetings, engineering consultations, etc.  The number of Chinese 
travelers will increase once the AP1000 technology transfer 
program begins.  Since October 2007, Westinghouse has frequently 
asked AmConGen Shanghai to expedite visa appointments, which we 
have always tried to accommodate.  However, since the scale of 
the AP1000 project will require increased coordination, Shanghai 
CONS and Westinghouse met to formalize procedures for 
facilitating the application and processing of the visas. 
Westinghouse's primary Shanghai area customers that will send 
travelers to the U.S. are: 
 
SNPTC -- The State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation, the 
leading Westinghouse purchaser in China, has headquarters in 
Beijing, with subsidiaries in Shanghai and Jinan. 
 
SMNPC -- The Sanmen Nuclear Power Company, owner of the Sanmen 
Nuclear Power Plant, is headquartered in Sanmen, Zhejiang 
Province.  It is a subsidiary of the China National Nuclear 
Corporation in Beijing. 
 
SNPEC -- The State Nuclear Power Engineering Company, a 
subsidiary of SNPTC, is based in Shanghai. 
 
SNERDI -- The Shanghai Nuclear Engineering and Research 
Institute, a subsidiary of SNPTC, is located in Shanghai. 
 
SEC -- The Shanghai Electric Corporation, one of Westinghouse's 
key partners in China, is the utility that owns almost all power 
and electrical equipment factories in Shanghai. 
 
¶7. (SBU) AP1000 Visa Processing:  The majority of visa 
applicants from the above institutions hold quasi-official 
Foreign Affairs passports on the basis of their employment in a 
state-owned enterprise.  Interviews and passport pass-backs for 
such applicants are handled by local Foreign Affairs Offices 
(FAO).  Because the Consular Section already has a special 
channel for processing FAO visa applicants, it is fairly easy 
for the Consular Section to accommodate AP1000 applicants with 
FAO passports.  If visa appointment dates available through the 
FAO are not early enough for AP1000 travel, Westinghouse can 
request expedited appointments directly from the Consular Chief. 
 Pass-back for these cases will continue to be coordinated 
through the FAO.  AP1000 visa applicants without Foreign Affairs 
passports are encouraged to obtain them.  If FAO passports are 
not appropriate for proposed AP1000 travel (i.e. long-term 
training, etc.), applicants are encouraged to schedule interview 
appointments through normal channels (i.e., the visa appointment 
Call Center).  As is the case with FAO passport holders, if the 
private passport holder requires an appointment sooner than the 
 
SHANGHAI 00000133  003 OF 003 
 
 
Call Center's next available date, Westinghouse can again 
request an expedited appointment.  To facilitate AP1000 visa 
processing, Consular Chief has assigned an "AP1000 Coordinator", 
who will serve as Westinghouse's direct line to the Consular 
Section, and will be available to consult with Westinghouse on 
all visa matters. 
 
¶8. (SBU) AP1000 SAO Processing:  Because the AP1000 project 
involves sensitive nuclear technologies, the great majority of 
applicants require MANTIS Special Advisory Opinions (SAO).  SAO 
processing in Shanghai currently takes a minimum of three weeks. 
 In the past, Shanghai CONS has had to request expedited SAO 
processing for AP1000 applicants.  While SAO clearers in 
Washington have been highly responsive to these requests 
(returning SAO clearances in a matter of days), the Consular 
Section is working with Westinghouse to ensure that such 
requests for expedited SAO clearances are only made as a last 
resort.  Westinghouse has been advised to apply as early as 
possible, and to allow enough time for normal SAO processing. 
Shanghai will submit SAO clearance requests for all potential 
U.S. sites that applicants will visit over a one-year period. 
If no objections are received, this will qualify eligible AP1000 
travelers for expedited return traveler SAO processing through a 
"post-check", which is a much faster SAO process.  The AP1000 
Coordinator will work with ACG Shanghai's Locally Engaged Staff 
to brief them on the special handling of AP1000 applicants to 
ensure that these cases are processed in the fastest way 
possible. 
 
¶9.  (U) Consular Chief also advised Westinghouse representatives 
on visa application best practices, such as how to prepare 
applicants, what materials to present during the interview, etc. 
 AmConGen Shanghai and Westinghouse are confident that this 
expedited application process will greatly facilitate AP1000 
travel, and make applying for a U.S. visa a less intimidating 
experience for Westinghouse customers.  Furthermore, this 
tailored visa service reaffirms the USG's continued commitment 
to assist Westinghouse in facilitating AP1000 travel. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) COMMENT:  Recent Xinhua News Agency reports have 
praised the Sanmen, Zhejiang phase of the AP1000 project, which 
began construction in February, a full month ahead of schedule. 
Westinghouse, which has its corporate offices in Beijing, 
established its AP1000 office in Shanghai because so many of its 
customers are here - SNERDI, SEC, SNPEC, etc.  Westinghouse will 
even begin to embed its employees inside the SNERDI, SEC, and 
other customers' offices.  Post will follow up on this project 
as both the volume of AP1000 visa applicants and the frequency 
of local media coverage of the project continue to increase. 
END COMMENT. 
 
¶11. (U) This cable was coordinated with AmEmb Beijing. 
JARRETT