Why the U. S. Fears a Chinese Bid for Westinghouse Electric -
By JONATHAN SOBLEAPRIL 7, 2017
The Trump administration is worried that Chinese investors might try to buy Westinghouse Electric, the troubled American nuclear power company
that the Japanese conglomerate Toshiba has offered for sale.
Alternatively, the administration could encourage a rival bid from a business based in the United States or in a friendly country — though
that could be a challenge, given the small number of nuclear-plant builders and Westinghouse’s history of losing large amounts of money.
Although Westinghouse does not make nuclear weapons, the Trump administration may fear
that China could find ways to use the company’s technology to improve its nuclear arsenal, another pillar of its growing power.
Part of its concern could be economic: A widely predicted “nuclear renaissance” has stalled across most of the developed world — few plants are being built or planned in Western countries —
but it is possible Washington does not want China to dominate a future revival.
