China has suspended its ban on exporting gallium, germanium, and antimony to the United States, lifting a nearly year-long restriction that had significantly impacted industries reliant on these critical metals.
According to an announcement by China’s Ministry of Commerce on November 9, 2025, the suspension will remain in effect until November 27, 2026, though export controls requiring exporters to obtain licences from Beijing will still apply.
This move marks the latest de-escalation in a series of mineral export controls China had imposed amid growing trade tensions with the US.
Between August 2023 and September 2024, China restricted exports of these three metals, escalating the situation in December 2024 by imposing a total ban targeting the US.
This ban was a direct response to Washington’s introduction of new semiconductor-sector restrictions and was aimed at reducing US access to crucial materials used in technology manufacturing.
The metals are essential for producing semiconductors, fibre-optic cables, ammunition, and flame retardants, making them critical to many sectors including consumer electronics and advanced military technology applications.
The December 2024 ban heightened shortages of these materials in the US market, forcing some importers to seek alternative supply routes, including rerouting shipments through third countries to bypass direct US-China trade restrictions.
However, despite this ban, China maintained control over the market by keeping gallium, germanium, and antimony on its dual-use export control list.
This means exporters are still required to apply for government licences for all overseas sales, with particular restrictions remaining in place for exports to US military users — restrictions that have not been lifted with this latest suspension.
China’s Ministry of Commerce clarified that the suspension of the total export ban does not cancel the metals’ status on the dual-use list, or the restrictions on exports to military end users in the US.
Exporters will thus have to comply with ongoing regulatory oversight that ensures the materials are not used in military applications, reflecting a continued strategic balancing act between economic and national security interests in this trade relationship.
Though these three metals are not classified as rare earth elements, their global significance is underscored by China’s dominant position in their production.
An EU report from 2024 highlights China’s production share at 94 per cent of the world’s gallium, a metal critical to the fabrication of integrated circuits, LEDs, and photovoltaic solar panels.
China also accounts for a major share in other metals like germanium and antimony, further reinforcing the country’s leverage over supply chains that underpin many high-tech and defence industries worldwide.
Additionally, China has also suspended stricter export controls on certain dual-use graphite products to the US, easing restrictions on another category of materials essential for technology manufacturing.
These incremental policy adjustments come in the wake of diplomatic exchanges, including a recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, hinting at an evolving trade dialogue that could influence future resource access and technology cooperation.
This partial easing on critical metal exports may provide temporary relief to US manufacturers dependent on these strategic inputs while sustaining China’s regulatory grip through licensing and military-use prohibitions.
As semiconductor and clean-tech industries continue to rely heavily on these minerals, monitoring subsequent developments in US-China export controls will remain crucial for global supply chain stability.
