China's Ministry of Commerce announced new controls Thursday on the export of antimony, a critical mineral used in a range of products from military ammunition, nuclear weapons and night goggles to batteries.
The curbs, which will go into effect on September 15 according to a ministry statement on its website, are but the latest in an ongoing race for resources with China. The nation is currently the largest producer of antimony, accounting for 48% of the critical mineral’s globally mined output.
The United States and several other countries have sought to reduce their reliance on China in recent months. Washington has increased tariffs across strategic sectors including steel, aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, critical minerals, solar cells and medical products to protect domestic job markets and address China’s alleged unfair market practices.
In its statement, China’s Commerce Ministry said the newly imposed limits work to “safeguard national security and interests, and fulfil international obligations such as non-proliferation.” The ministry added that the restrictions are not targeted at any specific region or country.
Beijing’s most recent restriction follows export curbs last year on gallium and germanium, products that are often used in the semiconductor industry.
The U.S. categorizes antimony as a “mineral critical to economic and national security – similar to rare earth elements, plus cobalt and uranium,” according to the U.S. International Trade Commission.
“It is an international practice to implement export controls on antimony, superhard materials and other related items,” said a spokesperson from China’s Commerce Ministry.
The restrictions apply to six kinds of antimony-related products, which include antimony ore, antimony metals and antimony oxide. The controls also include equipment used to process superhard materials such as diamonds.
Some material for this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press.
