The big picture
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US defence chief Pete Hegseth warns of ‘imminent’ China threat during Shangri-La Dialogue
US defence chief Pete Hegseth warns of ‘imminent’ China threat during Shangri-La Dialogue
A closer look
In recent years, Beijing has leveraged its dominance in critical mineral production and refining as a key negotiating point in trade wars, as well as targeting defence industries in the US and its allies.
In July 2023, Beijing imposed controls requiring exporters to seek permission to ship eight gallium-related and six germanium-related products abroad. The list was expanded to include antimony in August 2024.
In December, the Chinese commerce ministry imposed export bans on gallium, germanium and antimony to the US, which affects American military end users.
In April, Beijing imposed trade restrictions requiring a special export licence for seven categories of medium and heavy rare earth elements (REE) – samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium – as well as magnets and other finished products that contain them to be shipped out of China.
