China's Secret Uranium Sourcing from DR Congo Raises Nuclear Expansion Concerns
An investigation has revealed that China has been secretly sourcing uranium from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for two decades, contributing to its rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal. The uranium was allegedly exported as a by-product of cobalt mining in the Katanga region, home to the Shinkolobwe mine, which was closed in 2004. Despite a ban on commercial uranium exports, researchers from the University of Wisconsin and Princeton University used geochemical modeling to estimate that between 2,000 and 5,000 tonnes of uranium were exported to China from 2000 to 2024. This period coincides with a significant increase in China's nuclear warheads, which doubled to over 600. The Chinese mining company CMOC, which owns the Tenke Fungurume mine, denies these allegations, stating that their cobalt ore does not contain excessive uranium. 
