It wont happen because - A: It makes sense, B: It is safe, C: you still have to dispose of the spent fuel.

China will be a super power in the economy unless its peoples revolte for one reason or another to create instability. It will rival or surpass the US in a few years.

I dont agree.  It will surpass us when the revolt (or at least have a velvet revolution).  They have gone as far as they are going to with their current system.  They now have too many millionaires.  They either adapt or succumb.

Sure, they have been a world power before, but never THE world power....

This is true. So far only the British (to a large extent) and the Americans (pretty much completely) have managed this feat. Nevertheless I think it's true that China has had the world's largest economy for most of human history and was only overtaken by the west as recently as about 1830. I have heard Sinophiles suggest that China will soon enjoy its former top dog status once again and that observers centuries from now will look back on the two centuries of western power as an insignificant 'blip' in the overall human story.

I think though that I agree with Dr. Guy. China's current political system is really holding them back. As long as that continues to repress the Chinese and other peoples and stifle innovation and creativity, there's no need to practice our 'kow-tow' just yet.

China's current political system is really holding them back. As long as that continues to repress the Chinese and other peoples and stifle innovation and creativity, there's no need to practice our 'kow-tow' just yet.

I'm not sure I totally agree. I think you are right that the current system stifles innovation and creativity. However, being as populous as they are, and as large as they are in land, they absolutely must increase infrastructure to support the growth that they are going through, and will continue to go through in the coming decades. The #1 thing they need is energy to support the continued industrialization and modernization. Nuclear power is pretty much the cheapest way to get lots of energy. China's system allows the government to dictate exactly what course of action the country will take, and make it happen. There is no referendum. There is no dissent. The Chinese have gone from initial idea to ground breaking on these nuclear reactors in something like 10 years. We can't get any type of "controversial" policy passed in decades here.

Just like China has begun loosening their government controlled economy gradually over the past decade or so, I think that the government control of the country will gradually decline, and the people of China will gain more independence and freedom. China needs to be in a position to allow it to happen though, and a strong economy is that position. Again, to get there, they need the infrastructure, and I (and my friend Marcus who I have discussed this with ad nauseum) think that China has targeted energy as the very fundamental core of what they need in order to build the rest of their economy upon.

Or there is always the other possibility. China's current economic growth model encourages a wide gap between the "rich" (legal city dwellers) and the "poor" (peasants). With the way that China is prioritizing urban growth as a conduit for economic growth (see Shanghai) over rural development projects (see millions forced to move for the three gorges dam project) there is little possibility of another outcome. If China can move just 20-30 percent of it's population to near EU per capita income (which BTW is 32nd in the world), well....that would put them easily on a level playing field with the EU and/or the US. One China two systems seems to be the idea. Basically, define regions of relative freedom for that 20-30 percent, corden them off from the peasantry and build a superpower. Despite Mao's rhetoric, the peasant class were screwed by the Emperors, then the Commies and soon to be screwed royally under this new Capitolist communism theory. As a result they have really two choices with what they can do with the peasantry. a) cut them off and let 'em figure it out themselves (DANGEROUS!) continue their policy of using them as cannon fodder in regional conflicts i.e. "Project Taiwan Reclamation". It's obvious that the Chinese central committee has really no desire to continue implimenting socialism as a class eraser. It's bad for business and is no way to run a country.