The high-strength carbon fibre made by Japan’s Toray Industries is eagerly sought after by the makers of racing bikes and jet aircraft. It also happens to be perfect for supersonic centrifuges used to enrich the uranium in nuclear bombs.
For that reason, trade in the company’s high-strength T700 filament is carefully controlled by almost a dozen international bodies. To buy it directly from Tokyo-based Toray requires an export licence from Japan’s Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry and a two-page end-user certificate.
But for those who do not want the hassle, there is another place to find suppliers which will not ask so many questions: Alibaba.com, the Chinese trade website owned by Alibaba Group, which listed in the US last week in the third-biggest initial public offering in history.