UK signs long-awaited Franco-Chinese nuclear project behind closed doors

London: A deal to build Britain’s first new nuclear power station in decades was signed behind closed doors in London on Thursday, in a low-key ceremony that underlined Prime Minister Theresa May’s cautious approach to the Franco-Chinese project.

Journalists were not invited to the event but a person familiar with the situation said the contract had been signed at a ceremony due to be attended by Britain’s Business Secretary Greg Clark, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and China’s National Energy Administration Director Nur Bekri.

The no-frills event for the project in Hinkley, to be built by France’s EDF and part-funded by China, contrasted with the approach taken by May’s predecessor David Cameron who courted Chinese investment during a lavish state visit laid on for President Xi Jinping last year.