»Senate to debate China uranium sales«

The Federal Government's plan for an agreement that would allow Australia to sell uranium to China will be debated in the Senate.

The Government has announced that Australia will formally commence negotiations on a nuclear co-operation agreement with China.

It insists any deal would include safeguards to ensure Australian uranium is used exclusively for peaceful purposes.

Democrats Senator Lyn Allison thinks the Government should insist on disarmament.

"I think it's time for our Government to withdraw uranium export agreements with nuclear weapons states and China is one of those," she said.

Greens Senator Christine Milne does not trust Beijing.

"There can be no guarantee in a dictatorship like China, where corruption is also rife, that that nuclear product won't be used for weapons," she said.

She thinks the Government is being hypocritical.

"On one hand they're saying that they're concerned about global security and the war on terrorism and on the other they are saying they want to expand uranium exports to China, where there can be no guarantee that that nuclear product won't be used for weapons," she said.