The world’s renewable energy, military, and tech industries rely on lesser-known metals such as antimony, gallium, and germanium to help their missiles fly and computers operate. Due to decades of little to no investment by the West, these critical minerals are entirely controlled by China. Global refining capacity is between 80 and 90% for these metals (and other minor metals), and certain applications have almost no substitute.
In early December of 2024, China, again, escalated its trade tensions with the West, targeting critical minerals pivotal to semiconductor manufacturing, military technology, and renewable energy applications. The latest announcement bans exports of gallium, germanium, antimony, and “superhard materials” to the US, with stricter reviews on graphite shipments. This strategic move reflects the intensifying competition between the world’s two largest economies and has significant implications for Western industries, particularly semiconductor manufacturing and should sound off alarms bells for the need to mine and refine these materials in the West.
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