China's Nuclear Exports and Assistance to South America

China's Nuclear Exports and Assistance to South America

In the 1980s, China conducted some trade in nuclear material and technology with countries in South America. These exports included enriched uranium to Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, as well as exports of heavy water to Argentina and a nuclear cooperation agreement with Chile for improving uranium extraction from the Andes. There have not been any recent reports of important nuclear deals between China and South American countries, and China's nuclear trade with this region of the world is not currently a source of proliferation concern.

For more in-depth information on open-source reports of Chinese exports and assistance, please consult the CNS Nuclear Abstracts database.

CHINA'S NUCLEAR EXPORTS AND ASSISTANCE TO SOUTH AMERICA

COUNTRY	REPORTED AREA OF CHINESE NUCLEAR ASSISTANCE
ARGENTINA	Enriched uranium fuel (20 percent-enriched) (1980s) (supplied without safeguards) Heavy water (D2O) (supplied without safeguards): --4-6 metric tons (1982) --50-60 metric tons (1981-1985) Highly-enriched uranium (HEU) (12 kg) (1981-1985) (supplied without safeguards) Uranium Concentrate (U3O8) (Yellowcake) (1981-1985) (supplied without safeguards) Uranium hexafluoride (UF6) (30 metric tons) (1980 or 1981) (supplied without safeguards)
BRAZIL	Enriched uranium (1984) (supplied without safeguards): --3, 7, 20 percent enriched (200 kg total)
CHILE	Enriched uranium for research reactor (supplied under IAEA safeguards--INFCIRC/350) (1988) Uranium mining and processing

[CHINA'S NUCLEAR EXPORTS]

[CHINA'S MISSILE EXPORTS AND ASSISTANCE TO SOUTH AMERICA]

This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2007 by MIIS.