Indonesian Radioactive Export Scandal Exposes Global Supply Chain Risks and Chinese Corporate Evasion

When dangerous radioactive material—cesium-137—turns up in products destined for the United States, alarm bells should ring across Washington. Yet, here we are: Indonesian authorities have identified a Chinese executive, Lin Jingzhang, director of PT Peter Metal Technology (PMT), as the prime suspect in a scandal that has compromised U.S. import safety and exposed glaring gaps in international supply chain oversight.Operating on Indonesia's Java island, PMT smelts stainless steel from scrap metal sourced domestically—scrap unknowingly contaminated with cesium-137, a highly hazardous radioactive isotope. The contamination triggered recalls of consumer goods including frozen shrimp and sneakers reaching American shelves. This is not...