The United States has decided to increase import duties on a number of strategic goods from China, including electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, semiconductors and critical materials. Uranium has also received special attention, on the import of which from China the customs duty will increase from 7.5% to 25%. This increase applies to goods that will be consumed or removed from storage after September 27, 2024.
Such measures were a response to US concerns about the possible circumvention of sanctions against Russian low-enriched uranium through Chinese companies. Earlier, President Joe Biden signed a law banning the import of Russian uranium, which took effect in August. However, US companies have been given the option to continue importing until 2028, creating loopholes to circumvent the ban.
The US government is actively investigating whether China supports Russia's nuclear industry by buying enriched uranium and exporting its products to the United States. According to the US International Trade Commission, shipments of low-enriched uranium from China to the US rose sharply to 242.9 tons in December last year, although they have been virtually non-existent since 2020.
According to Reuters, since the signing of the law banning the import of Russian uranium in May, supplies from China have increased again to 123.8 tons. This has raised concerns among US officials, who are trying to prevent Russian uranium entering the US market through Chinese supplies.
A representative of the US Department of Energy emphasized the need to ensure that Russian uranium is not imported under the guise of products that are produced in China for use in their reactors. The active development of nuclear energy in the PRC may also be a factor explaining the increase in exports of Russian low-enriched uranium to China in 2022 and 2023.
