(Reuters) - British engineering company Rolls-Royce has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese nuclear reactor vendor SNPTC to cooperate on civil nuclear power projects in the UK and other markets.

The companies will look at collaboration in areas such as engineering support, provision of components and supply chain management, Rolls Royce said in a statement.

"China represents one of the world's largest civil nuclear markets in which Rolls-Royce has been supplying safety-critical technology and solutions for 20 years," said Rolls Royce President of Nuclear Jason Smith.

The British engineer said it already services more than 70 percent of China's operational reactors and those being built.

China's SNPTC has previously expressed interest in building new nuclear reactors in Britain.

(Reporting by Karolin Schaps; editing by Kate Holton)