US probes potential Chinese support for Russia’s nuclear industry amid uranium import ban

Washington is investigating whether China is aiding Russia's nuclear industry by importing enriched uranium from Russia and exporting its own production to the United States.

This scrutiny follows a recent ban on Russian uranium imports by the U.S., enacted in December 2023 to impede Moscow’s funding for the war in Ukraine, News.Az report, citing Reuters.

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).

The U.S. Department of Energy "along with other relevant agencies is closely tracking imports from China to ensure the proper implementation of the recently enacted Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act," a department spokesperson said, a development that has not been previously reported.

U.S. officials are watching the imports from China and other countries to "ensure they are not importing Russian uranium as part of a scheme to export material produced domestically that they would otherwise have used in their own reactors," the spokesperson said.

There was no immediate response from the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing to a request for comment.

Russia is the world's largest exporter of enriched uranium. Imports to the U.S. from Russia through July this year stood at 313,050 kilograms (690,160 lb), down 30% from last year. The ban allows some Russian imports to continue until 2028 if there are supply concerns.

News.Az