China restricting exports of gallium and germanium compoundsCould this eventually also happen with tungsten ?
China is restricting the exports of two metals key to the manufacturing of semiconductors, its commerce ministry said late Monday, escalating a technological trade war with Europe and the United States over access to microchips.
These new regulations — imposed on grounds of national security — will require exporters to seek a license to ship some gallium and germanium compounds starting Aug. 1, China’s commerce ministry said in a statement late Monday.
Applications for these export licenses must identify importers and end users and stipulate how these metals will be used.
This move is part of an intensifying global battle for technological supremacy — with China as the world’s largest source of both metals, according to a European Union study on critical raw materials this year.In October, the U.S. launched sweeping rules aimed at cutting off exports of key chips and semiconductor tools to China. The measures are believed to have the potential to cripple China’s ambitions to boost its domestic technology industries. The U.S. has also lobbied key chipmaking nations and allies, like the Netherlands and Japan, to introduce export restrictions of their own.