Apart from the domestic generation of e-waste, a remarkable amount of e-waste is imported into China
to meet the demand for second-hand equipment and for secondary resources. China now appears to
be the largest e-waste dumping site in the world, receiving shipments from the US, Europe and neighbouring
Asian countries, including South Korea and Japan. Despite the fact that the Chinese
government banned the import of e-waste (for both domestic re-use and recycling) in 2000, large
volumes of imported e-waste and second-hand Electrical and Electronic Equipment still flow into the country.