Russia and China have both surpassed the US in the number of agreements involving the sale of nuclear energy technology and services, the centre-left US-based thinktank Third Way said.

In a report on geopolitics in the nuclear energy industry Third Way said global demand for nuclear energy is increasing and the Russian and Chinese governments are supporting their nuclear industries to secure international contracts in a bid to increase their geopolitical influence.

The report said “all is not lost” for the US, which has supportive agreements with numerous countries that are interested in nuclear energy and are ready to deploy in the near term.

“It is vital to our climate, energy, commercial, and national security interests to seize such opportunities by implementing smart policies, including strengthening interagency coordination and expanding our federal toolkit to finance projects abroad,” Third Way said.