Since the end of 2023, there has been a sharp increase in the export of enriched uranium from China to the United States, according to a report from Reuters. This has raised concerns about the Chinese Communist Party assisting Russia in circumventing the US ban on uranium imports from Russia by importing uranium from Russia and then exporting it to the United States. The Biden administration is currently conducting an investigation into this matter.
The US House of Representatives passed a ban on enriched uranium from Russia in December 2023, as part of the US efforts to weaken Russia’s ability to fund the war in Ukraine.
According to data from the US International Trade Commission, China’s export of enriched uranium to the US surged to 242,990 kilograms (535,700 pounds) in that month. These figures are significant because from 2020 to 2022, China did not export any enriched uranium to the US.
In May of this year, President Biden signed the ban. That same month, China once again sent a large amount of uranium to the US, totaling 123,894 kilograms (273,139 pounds).
A spokesperson for the US Department of Energy stated that the department is “closely monitoring imports from China and other countries to ensure the proper enforcement of the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act passed in May,” a development that had not been previously reported.
The spokesperson noted that US officials are monitoring imports from China and other countries to “ensure that they do not import Russian uranium” and then export uranium intended for their own reactors to the United States.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Russia is the world’s largest exporter of enriched uranium. Before July of this year, the import of enriched uranium from Russia to the US reached 313,050 kilograms (690,160 pounds), a 30% decrease from the previous year. While some Russian imports are allowed to continue until 2028 under the ban, it is contingent on the US facing supply issues.
Evading the ban could undermine US efforts to ultimately reduce dependence on Russian fuel. The US nuclear industry is the largest in the world. It may also hamper the Biden administration’s attempts to kickstart a domestic uranium supply chain. At the time the ban was signed, the US government allocated $2.72 billion in public funds to achieve this goal.
According to data released by the World Bank, China’s import of enriched uranium from Russia surged in 2022 and 2023. Analysts suggest that while China is constructing more reactors that require stable uranium supply, importing uranium from Russia could also help in exporting this fuel.
“As China seeks to expand its role in the global enriched uranium market, increasing imports of Russian enriched uranium may be in support of Beijing’s ambitions,” the Royal United Services Institute based in London stated in a report in March.
Imports from China have garnered attention from the US uranium industry. In June, Centrus, a company developing enriched uranium capabilities, urged the US Trade Representative’s Office (USTR) to increase tariffs on enriched uranium from China from 7.5% to 20%, citing that their efforts “may be under threat from imports of enriched uranium from China.”
The Uranium Producers of America (UPA) industry group also called for USTR to raise tariffs to 50% in public comments. USTR recently finalized increased tariffs on some other goods, but did not increase tariffs on uranium from China.
USTR did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Jon Indall, legal counsel for UPA, stated that they met with the US Department of Commerce in July and expressed concerns that imports of uranium from China may be an attempt to circumvent the ban on Russian imports.
Indall said, “Our concern is (the CCP) circumventing the ban. We don’t want to see a significant amount of materials suddenly appearing from China after cutting off supplies from Russia.”
Indall emphasized, “We have requested the Department of Commerce to investigate this.” The Department of Commerce has not responded to Reuters’ request for comment.
The Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In May, Rosatom stated that the ban would weaken the global enriched uranium market, but they will continue to develop their global business.
The Kremlin did not publicly respond to the ban until September 11, when Putin announced that Moscow should consider restricting exports of uranium and other metals in response to Western sanctions.