US probes uranium imports from China to prevent circumventing Russian ban

18/9/2024 6:15

        The U.S. government is probing whether China is supporting Russia's nuclear industry by importing enriched uranium from its neighbor and exporting its own production to the U.S., which recently banned Russian uranium imports, Reuters has learned.
        
        U.S. House lawmakers passed the ban on Russian enriched uranium in December 2023 as part of a U.S. effort to disrupt President Vladimir Putin's ability to fund Russia's war on Ukraine.
        
        That month, shipments of enriched uranium from China to the U.S. shot to 242,990 kilograms (535,700 lb), according to data from the U.S. International Trade Commission. The imports are significant because from 2020 to 2022 China did not send any enriched uranium to the U.S.
        
        In May this year, the month that Biden signed the ban, China again sent the U.S. a large amount of uranium - this time totaling 123,894 kilograms (273,139 lb).