China's Ministry of Commerce announced that it will expand its export controls to include antimony, a rare metal crucial for semiconductor materials. Beginning September 15, Chinese exporters will need government approval to ship antimony-related products abroad.
As reported by Nikkei, NHK, and Reuters, the new regulations will cover a broad range of antimony products, including raw antimony ore, metal antimony, antimony oxides, and hydrides. It will also extend to indium antimonide and ultra-hard materials such as diamond window components, six-sided top press equipment, and related technology for manufacturing synthetic single crystals like artificial diamonds or cubic boron nitride. All these items will be subject to stringent export restrictions, with permits required for any overseas sales.
Antimony's unique properties make it essential in the production of hardened alloys, commonly used in manufacturing bullets and other weaponry. Additionally, processed antimony serves as a key semiconductor material and as a flame retardant in automotive and electronic applications, enhancing product safety by reducing flammability.
China dominates the global antimony market, accounting for nearly 50% of the world's supply in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey.
A spokesperson from China's Ministry of Commerce justified the export controls as necessary for national security, stating that the measures are not directed at any specific country. However, the spokesperson emphasized that the controls are intended to counter any misuse of Chinese exports by foreign entities that could threaten China's sovereignty, security, or national interests.
The move to restrict antimony exports is widely seen as Beijing's retaliation against US, Dutch, and Japanese efforts to curb China's access to advanced semiconductor technology and equipment.
This isn't the first time China has tightened its grip on critical materials. In August 2023, Beijing imposed stricter controls on the export of gallium and germanium, both vital to semiconductor production, and in December, it added graphite used in lithium-ion batteries to the restricted list. During the same period, China also banned the export of rare earth refining and processing technologies, disrupting the global supply chain for high-performance magnets. Now, antimony joins the list of restricted materials.
Market tension over antimony was already mounting even before China's latest move. In May 2024, research firm Project Blue projected a global shortfall of around 10,000 tons. This supply crunch was exacerbated by sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, which disrupted Russian antimony production.
Jack Bedder, co-founder of Project Blue, noted that China had already been scaling back its metal exports due to rising domestic consumption. European refineries have been increasing imports from Tajikistan, Vietnam, and Myanmar to reduce their reliance on China, while India has ramped up antimony exports to the US Nevertheless, Bedder warned that prices will likely spike even further as China's new controls take effect.
